Xylon logiTAP FPGA Development Platform Enables Efficient GUI Application Developments

This Xilinx® Spartan®-6 FPGA centric development kit is a complete solution for the development of user-friendly, responsive and cost-sensitive graphical user interfaces (GUIs) for embedded systems utilizing FPGA chips

ZAGREB, Croatia, December 21, 2010 – Xylon d.o.o., an FPGA-oriented design house, today announced the full availability of the new generation of the company’s popular logiTAP platform for embedded GUI system developments. The new logiTAP kit is based on the low-cost family of Xilinx Spartan-6 Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and offers a complete design framework for embedded designers developing GUI applications. The kit combines Xylon’s logiCRAFT6 display development board, an integrated touch screen LCD panel, and logicBRICKS IP core library. Xylon logicBRICKS IP cores are fully scalable and support a range of display control and graphic generation and acceleration capabilities including optional video capture, scaling, and overlay.  To further help users, especially new GUI developers, the logiTAP kit also comes pre-loaded with a complete set of reference applications implemented with Xilinx’s Embedded Development Kit (EDK), allowing users to easily modify, extend, or create new GUI applications. 

About the logiTAP Platform

The logiTAP development kit hardware platform is packed into a single Plexiglas casing comprising the Xylon logiCRAFT6 board and a high resolution color LCD touch screen display. At the heart of the logiTAP development kit is the XC6SLX45T FGG484 Xilinx Spartan-6 FPGA device, implementing a full System on Programmable Chip (SoPC). The kit also includes a 7” 800x480 LCD color touch screen display, 256 MB DDR2 SDRAM, 16 MB SPI I/O Flash, 2GB SD card, 2 video inputs selectable from 4 CVBS or 2 S-Video inputs, DVI/VGA video output, LVDS output channel from the FPGA, 4 LVDS camera interfaces, stereo audio inputs and outputs, and 2 MGT interfaces equipped by Rosenberger high-speed connectors. In addition, the kit provides connectors for several communication interfaces: Parallel IO, SATA, LIN, CAN, RS232 and JTAG.

The logiTAP also includes an FPGA reference design that is based on the Xilinx MicroBlaze soft-CPU which controls all of the system functions. Xylon provides the reference design, built by Xylon logicBRICKS IP cores, along with the Xilinx EDK integrated software. Kit users may make their own variation of the design.

Xylon logiTAP demos (http://www.logicbricks.com/logicBRICKS-IP-Library/Video-Galleries/logiTAP-Clips.aspx) are developed using various popular graphic development software tools, and many of the demos can be evaluated/modified at the source code level.

About logicBRICKS IP Library

Xylon’s IP cores, named logicBRICKS, enable users to quickly develop embedded graphics and video solutions based on Xilinx FPGA. All logicBRICKS IP cores come with detailed documentation, software support and reference designs. The IP cores are fully supported by the Xilinx Platform Studio and the EDK integrated software solution. FPGA designers can setup logicBRICKS configurations through a GUI, optimize feature sets and control the utilization of FPGA resources, and in a drag & drop fashion, implement Xilinx SoC without hand coding.

Pricing & Availability

The logiTAP kit includes the logiCRAFT6 board with color touchscreen LCD packaged in a portable plexiglass housing, power supply, serial programming cable, and a convenient carrying case. FPGA designs, software, and full documentation are available through FTP download.

 Xylon is currently making the logiTAP available at a special promotional price of only €799. The kit can be ordered online at http://www.logicbricks.com/Products/logiTAP.aspx.

About Xylon

Xylon is an electronic company focused on Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) design development, established in 1995 and based in Zagreb, Croatia. Xylon offers a comprehensive IP cores library named logicBRICKS. logicBRICKS are optimized to suit Xilinx FPGA architectures. Xylon’s expertise in the fields of embedded graphics, video and networking is confirmed by a large number of successful FPGA designs, produced by our partners and distributed worldwide. All Xylon IP cores are exhaustively tested to ensure that they can be easily implemented and integrated in the customers’ designs. More information can be found at www.logicbricks.com, the official Xylon web site.