FPGA Central

Hello, I bought a Spartan 3E Starter kit which included a XPS 8.1
Evaluation Software. Now it has expired and I cannot design for
hardware arquitecture. Does anybody resolve it?? That is, is some
method or crack for this??

Another possibility: Is there another platform (free) for designing
with this FPGA??

Thanks.

you don't need the XPS/EDK to get going, just download Webpack
http://www.xilinx.com/ise/logic_design_prod/webpack.htm
Dig out the examples from the xilinx web-site and use them as a framework
for whatever you're building.
http://www.xilinx.com/s3estarter
Unless you're using some fancy stuff that needs the EDK/XPS.
Ben

"Pablo" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected] ups.com...
> Hello, I bought a Spartan 3E Starter kit which included a XPS 8.1
> Evaluation Software. Now it has expired and I cannot design for
> hardware arquitecture. Does anybody resolve it?? That is, is some
> method or crack for this??
>
> Another possibility: Is there another platform (free) for designing
> with this FPGA??
>
> Thanks.
>

"Pablo" <[email protected]> writes:
> Hello, I bought a Spartan 3E Starter kit which included a XPS 8.1
> Evaluation Software. Now it has expired and I cannot design for
> hardware arquitecture. Does anybody resolve it?? That is, is some
> method or crack for this??

Yes, a crack for it is available from your Xilinx distributor,
for a fee.

In article <[email protected]>,
Eric Smith <[email protected]> wrote:

> "Pablo" <[email protected]> writes:
> > Hello, I bought a Spartan 3E Starter kit which included a XPS 8.1
> > Evaluation Software. Now it has expired and I cannot design for
> > hardware arquitecture. Does anybody resolve it?? That is, is some
> > method or crack for this??
>
> Yes, a crack for it is available from your Xilinx distributor,
> for a fee.

I disagree, tools should be free. You *still* have to buy their
hardware.

Sort of like how apple was in the old days with their OS. They knew they
got your money via the hardware, so they gave away the OS for free.
There was no reason to screw the customers twice.

Chip dealers should do the same.

"ziggy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..

>> > Hello, I bought a Spartan 3E Starter kit which included a XPS 8.1
>> > Evaluation Software. Now it has expired and I cannot design for
>> > hardware arquitecture. Does anybody resolve it?? That is, is some
>> > method or crack for this??
>> Yes, a crack for it is available from your Xilinx distributor,
>> for a fee.
>
> I disagree, tools should be free. You *still* have to buy their
> hardware.

No, you don't have to. It's a free world. (As in speech.) The software can
be used quite happily without the hardware. For example, you could design
and implement entire prototype systems, simulate them, check timing, and so
on, and then make the decision that your project is not viable and never buy
any parts at all. Or your company might fold before you have a chance to
bring the product to market.

> Sort of like how apple was in the old days with their OS. They knew they
> got your money via the hardware, so they gave away the OS for free.
> There was no reason to screw the customers twice.

Wow. When did charging money for goods or services become synonymous with
screwing someone over?

You can design for the Spartan-3E without the EDK/XPS software - you can use
the free Webpack version of ISE and write in VHDL/Verilog. That's a hell of
a generous offer - players like Xilinx and Altera have invested millions in
their mapping and place & route algorithms and all the other stuff that is
required for the FPGA design back-end, and they give that away for free.

Even if you have to pay full price to get access to the very largest and
latest devices, we're still not talking megabucks here - particularly
compared to the rest of the EDA world. FPGA vendors do not price small
development houses out of the market in the same way that ASIC vendors do.

EDK is an example of a "value add" product - you get accellerated design
time for processor-based SoC platforms, a whole bunch of peripheral IP, and
the MicroBlaze processor core as well.

Now, either you think that's worth paying for, or you go find some
alternative way of doing it (like putting together a system out of OpenCores
IP) that costs you less money. Your choice. Capitalism at work.

-Ben-

ziggy wrote:
> In article <[email protected]>,
> Eric Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> "Pablo" <[email protected]> writes:
>>> Hello, I bought a Spartan 3E Starter kit which included a XPS 8.1
>>> Evaluation Software. Now it has expired and I cannot design for
>>> hardware arquitecture. Does anybody resolve it?? That is, is some
>>> method or crack for this??
>> Yes, a crack for it is available from your Xilinx distributor,
>> for a fee.
>
> I disagree, tools should be free. You *still* have to buy their
> hardware.
>
> Sort of like how apple was in the old days with their OS. They knew they
> got your money via the hardware, so they gave away the OS for free.
> There was no reason to screw the customers twice.
>
> Chip dealers should do the same.

And big oil companies should give us automobiles for free. We certainly
pay for the use of the car over and over and over!

Tools should be free only if there's no support for the tools and the
development costs are minimal. Otherwise, wouldn't the cost for very
few parts for the hobbyist be even further out of balance compared to
large quantity purchases than they are already? People have to get paid.

On Thu, 22 Feb 2007 13:23:21 +0000, Ben Jones wrote:

> EDK is an example of a "value add" product - you get accellerated design
> time for processor-based SoC platforms, a whole bunch of peripheral IP, and
> the MicroBlaze processor core as well.

I would actually buy this if I just paid for it once. But having to pay
$500 on a yearly basis just isn't feasible for me. I do this for a hobby
and to keep at least some of my hardware knowledge. So, regretfully, I
pass on the MicroBlaze and other IP.


~Dave~