Alex <[email protected]> wrote:

> I have started using Xilinx Spartan3E 1600E Microblaze Development
> Board and want to use its RS232 facility in my project. This board has
> two RS232 connectors but I cannot figure out what UART it uses. I was
> searching for UART chip on the board (I was actually searching for a
> MAXIM chip) and have seen none.

It would be unusual to put a UART on an FPGA development board.

You should implement one in the FPGA logic.

For ethernet, they put the PHY on board, as that is hard to do
in the FPGA (too much analog and/or fast circuitry), but the MAC
is normally done inside the FPGA.

The RS232 level shift/buffers should be on the board, though.

-- glen