XEM3050 - Xilinx Spartan-3 FPGA Integration Module

Opal Kelly module designs are unlike any others we have found on the market. Their powerful modules make the basic transfer of data from the FPGA to the PC very straight forward and simple.

- Michael W. Phaneuf, President, Fibics Incorporated

The Opal Kelly XEM3050 is a new integration module based on a 4,000,000-gate Xilinx Spartan-3 FPGA. In addition to a high gate-count FPGA, the XEM3050 utilizes the high transfer rate of USB 2.0 for configuration downloads, enabling an almost instant reprogramming of the FPGA.

FrontPanel Application and API

Opal Kelly's FrontPanel software interface is an easy-to-use, robust API for communication, configuration, and interfacing to your PC. FrontPanel handles all the interaction between your software and the FPGA internals, dramatically reducing the time and effort required to interface to a design.

XEM3010-Compatible

The Opal Kelly XEM3010 has been incredibly popular, but customers wanted more. The XEM3050 is designed to be fully compatible with the XEM3010 expansion connectors, providing an easy migration path to access this more powerful module.

Prototyping and OEM Integration

The XEM3050 is ideally suited for product prototyping and integration into OEM devices where a USB interface, flexible hardware solution, or PC software interface would be useful. The XEM3050 can easily be added to a new board design to provide turnkey USB integration with the convenience of Opal Kelly's software programmer's interface and existing USB drivers.

Applications

Image or video capture / processing
Data acquisition
Digital communications
ASIC / hardware-based simulation and verification

High-speed USB/FPGA co-processor
Evaluation platform for your product
Custom test equipment

Early Adopter Deployments

Evaluation platform for semiconductor development
Bioinformatics co-processors
IR and LIDAR 3D Cameras
Biomedical optics

Fabless semiconductor development
Advanced GPS systems
Mobile phone display technology
ASIC Design
University research

Block Diagram

64 MiB SDRAM

Two completely independent 32-MByte SDRAMs are great for high-performance applications where separate memory busses are required.

8 Mb SPI Serial Flash

An 8-Mbit SPI Serial Flash device is included for non-volatile storage. A separate Xilinx Platform Flash is available for FPGA configuration data.

High-Efficiency Power

The XEM3050 is powered by two high-efficiency switching power supplies to reduce your design burden and guarantee clean, stable power to the FPGA.

Features & Specifications

Xilinx Spartan-3 (XC3S4000-5FGG676)
Xilinx Platform Flash PROM for configuration storage and standalone operation
64-MByte SDRAM (2x Micron MT48LC16M16)
8-Mbit Serial Flash (ST Microelectronics M25P80-VMW6G)
Small form-factor -- smaller than a credit card at 75mm x 50mm x 15.9mm (2.95" x 1.97" x 0.63")
High-speed USB 2.0 interface (Cypress FX2LP - CY68013A) for downloading and control
Self-powered by external DC source
Multi-PLL, multi-output clock generator (Cypress CY22393)
Four LEDs
Two 80-pin 0.8mm Samtec board-to-board connectors (BSE-040)
Over 110 user I/O and 4 GCLK pins on expansion connectors
Independent access to VCCO bank voltages
Optional resistors for digitally-controlled impedance (DCI)
JTAG pins available on a 0.1" header as well as the expansion connectors
Full FrontPanel virtual control panel support
Complete Application Programmer's Interface (API) in C, C++, C#, Ruby, Python, and Java

Note: Firmware source code is not included. Of course, full documentation on designing the XEM3050 into your application is included. Please see the Library items on this page.

Also note that the XEM3050 is not supported by Xilinx WebPack. You will need to purchase a seat of ISE Foundation to program the FPGA on-board.

Ordering

XEM3050-4000P

XC3S4000, 64-MiB SDRAM, 8-Mb Serial Flash, 16-Mb Platform Flash

- Qty 1-9
- Qty 10-49
- Qty 50+

BRK3010

Breakout Board for XEM3050 and XEM3010

- Qty 1

Library

Download free eDrawings viewer