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Altera_Forum's avatar
Altera_Forum
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11 years ago

Is FPGA the best option for a Lexus type digital dash display?

Hello,

I am currently making digital gauge displays with 4D Systems EVE graphics chips with VGA output. They are nice and easy to use with the 4DGL coding, but its performance has run its course. With their fastest hardware, an 800x600 sized screen can only do 2.5 fps and there are no options for shading, alpha, or any of that.

The end goal is to offer performance gauges like the Lexus IS has, shown here "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0zoo9gflzo". It seems like FPGA is the way to go as opposed to using some type of Linux or Windows based hardware, but I'm not sure.

What would be recommended to accomplish this task? FPGA's have a steep learning curve, so one has to be sure of the direction before taking on such a step. Are there enough IP's available from Altera to accomplish this? Since I do not have thousands and thousands of dollars to spend on 3rd party IP's, other support is important. Thoughts?

Regards

1 Reply

  • Altera_Forum's avatar
    Altera_Forum
    Icon for Honored Contributor rankHonored Contributor
    11 years ago

    In order to do this with an FPGA you will need some serious hardware acceleration, and I'm not sure you'll find ready-made IP for that kind of application. I think it would be a lot easier for you to go for a software solution instead. These days you can get some cheap ARM boards that have more than enough power to drive such a screen, and lots of ready made libraries.