CLa_R
Occasional ContributorJoined 7 years ago
User Profile
Occasional Contributor
User Widgets
Contributions
Re: FPGA MAX10 future availability
I can hardly understand that Intel does not consider small customers, but you are saying that your business is important. Intel should recognize this too. I understand the shortage of chips and the difficulty of obtaining them, but what is required is only clear communication. Is it too much?6.5KViews0likes0CommentsRe: FPGA MAX10 future availability
@ak6dn ha scritto: [..] So Intel is not going to accept backorders on parts that they know they can't produce for a year or more. Ok, this would already be important information. But I don't understand how you say it, it is in contrast with what you wrote before; You may be a large customer, but wasn't this information supposed to be confidential? I get confused. Also, if it is true as you wrote that Intel does not provide information to distributors, how should I interpret the fact that the MAX10 devices have completely disappeared from my distributor? By what metrics has my distributor made FPGAs disappear from their list if they do not have confidential information from Intel? The device will not be available for more than a year or has ended production? (I remember seeing that the availability was also indicated for 52 weeks, well over a year. But it was clearly indicated) Honestly, I am confused by your statements, although some of them may be reasonable. I still think Intel isn't doing a good job here. And I still don't like it.6.5KViews0likes1CommentRe: FPGA MAX10 future availability
@ak6dn ha scritto: [...] And like it or not (I've always worked for very large consumers of semiconductor parts, especially Intel/Altera) and because we bought hundreds of millions of dollars per year of devices we can el primo treatment. Support, access to new devices, technology road maps, advance notice of product family changes. That is just the way it works. Small guys that buy thru distributors don't get this info. I can also understand this, but my distributor will have to know in advance I think. Instead my distributor had several hundreds / thousands of pieces of various types of MAX10 in order and with specific arrival dates. Of some models he had indicated that the delivery would be very late. But none of them had an end-of-life indication or advice not to use it in new projects. From one moment to the next, these devices disappear completely and nothing is known. So the problem is not with myself that I can buy a few tens of FPGAs a year, but with my distributor who has bought tens of thousands in the past. Is all this normal? It would have been enough to say "we do not know when we will be able to produce it" or "we will never produce it again". This would have been crucial information. You may not like that, but that is how it works. I don't like it and I'm not the only one who doesn't like it. I've seen several other posts here of people complaining about the same thing. If that's how it works, that's okay, we acknowledge that it's not a serious way to work. 😕6.6KViews0likes0CommentsRe: FPGA MAX10 future availability
A major company should always clearly write if and when a product is no longer available. I am not a big customer, but my designs are based on Altera / Intel FPGAs, for me and for my business it is extremely important to know clearly if that product will still be available in the future. Intel can't just target large select customers, others are Intel customers too and need clarity.6.7KViews0likes0Comments- 1.7KViews0likes0Comments
Re: Config pins as normal IO pins
When CONF_DONE transitions from being internally driven low to be pulled high, then the device is done being initialized. Until this time, you CANNOT drive signals onto those three configuration lines, and you have to accept their levels. Ok, this shouldn't be a problem, I wouldn't use those pins before device initialization. (But I don't think anything can be done before or during initialization) Personally, I think it is VERY BAD practice to use those three lines as user programmable I/O. You will regret it. Okay, but if they say it's possible to do it, why should that be a bad idea? I'm afraid that no one has ever actually tried it. If you really need 7 more I/Os, use a bigger device, I thought about it, but I should switch to a 256pins device, with increased complexity even in the PCB. If it is possible to do this with the current device, why not do it? As I wrote before, I'm afraid that what you read in the documentation has never been tried by anyone or is it really a bad idea to do it, as you told me. For this I am looking for concrete solutions that have already been tested, I do not trust the documentation (however rigorous it may be), but I would like some example circuits that have already been tested.1.7KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Config pins as normal IO pins
Yes, I read it, but for me is a bit unclear. Example: in "Table 3-1: Dual-Purpose Configuration Pin Guidelines for MAX 10 Devices" I read: (for nConfig, nStatus, CONF_DONE) "During initialization: • tri-state the external I/O driver and drive an external pull-up resistor(6) or • use the external I/O driver to drive the pins to the state same as the external weak pullup resistor" Whath exactly means? I can't exactly distinguish user mode from initialization mode. Aren't there any example circuits that show you how?1.8KViews0likes0Comments- 1.8KViews0likes0Comments
Config pins as normal IO pins
I would like to use JTAGEN, DEV_CLRn, DEV_OE and CONFIG_SEL pins, as normal IO pins, is it possible? To be able to do it do I have to create an external circuit or is only a quartus II configuration sufficient? For the JTAGEN pin I connected a 1KOhm resistor between the pin and the ground, is it correct in this case? Also, is it possible to use JTAG configuration pins (TMS,TCK,TD0,TD1) for the same purpose? How?Solved1.8KViews0likes8CommentsFPGA MAX10 future availability
In my supplier website (mouser) I do not find anymore directly the MAX10 FPGA. If I look for a specific model (es. 10M40) I read that: "Life cycle information is unclear. Ask for a quote to check the availability of this article number from the manufacturer.". I know about the semiconductor crisies, but I would like know if this FPGA will still be produced in (the near) future, when it can be available and if there are any current substitutes or that will be produced shortly (I am basing my designs on a 10M40). Thanks!6.8KViews1like15Comments