Opal Kelly Blog

Altera Cyclone IV, USB 3.0, and Dual HSMC+ok Connectors

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ZEM4310 Bottom Clean

Press Release

Portland, Oregon – March 18, 2014 – Opal Kelly, a leading producer of powerful FPGA modules that provide essential device-to-computer interconnect using USB, announced the ZEM4310 Cyclone IV USB 3.0 FPGA Module, which leverages the SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface for FPGA configuration download and communication. The ZEM4310, the company’s first Altera-based integration module, includes over 160 FPGA I/Os in a mezzanine format similar to other Opal Kelly products, but based on the HSMC standard connector and pinout.

The Opal Kelly ZEM4310 utilizes the Altera Cyclone IV FPGA (EP4CE55F23C8N) as well as the Cypress FX3 USB controller for fast configuration downloads and up to 330 MB/s data transfer rates. The ZEM4310 is fully compatible with the company’s FrontPanel SDK and proprietary FX3 firmware, which provides a turnkey link between hardware and software. Furthermore, API compatibility exists across the entire line of Opal Kelly FPGA integration modules making the transition within the FrontPanel family comfortable and easy.

The ZEM4310 is a compact device, measuring just 80mm x 60mm x 16mm, designed for product integration and turnkey USB 3.0 support in FPGA designs. An on-board 50 MHz clock can be used with the Cyclone IV clock synthesis capabilities for most applications. The module also includes high-efficiency power supplies, 16 MiB SPI Flash memory, and 128 MiB DDR2 SDRAM for easy integration. Target applications include image or video capture, data acquisition, industrial control, digital communications, and HSMC peripheral interfaces.

Evaluation Board

To help users evaluate the ZEM4310 for their integration needs, Opal Kelly provides the EVB1007 CMOS Image Sensor evaluation board, an HSMC peripheral that interfaces easily to the ZEM4310. Example software, built on top of the FrontPanel SDK illustrates real-time image capture from the board’s 5 Megapixel color image
release that includes the full HDL and C++ software sources for the EVB1007 image capture application.

Availability

The ZEM4310 is in stock and available now through Opal Kelly’s online Web store at $499.95 (Qty 1) with significant volume discounts. The BRK4310 breakout board is also available for $49.95 / each for easy access to the high-density HSMC connectors on the module. The EVB1007 image sensor evaluation board is available for $249.95 / each. The EVB100X-DEV Developer’s Release is available for $249.95 as a software download.

About Opal Kelly

Opal Kelly, founded in 2004, offers a range of powerful, off-the-shelf, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 FPGA modules, including the easy-to-use Opal Kelly FrontPanel software interface and robust API. Opal Kelly products provide the essential device-to-computer interconnect for fast and efficient product prototyping, testing, development, and OEM integration. Development engineers, researchers, teachers, and serious hobbyists, worldwide, use Opal Kelly modules for a versatile and economical interconnect solution that shortens development time, fills expertise gaps, and dramatically accelerates time to market. For more information, or to purchase Opal Kelly products, please visit www.opalkelly.com.