GoWin FPGA, why?

I discovered GoWin FPGAs a few years ago. I have nothing to say about these FPGAs. They work well, the software also works correctly. Everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds then?

Hmm, not really! I ordered these FPGAs at the beginning of 2021. And, thanks or because of the shortage of components at that time, the price increased by 50%. Which makes these circuits, how to say... less interesting to use now.

Indeed, I design electronic systems for the 'enlightened' amateur domain, and not for the professional domain. The spectrum of manufacturing prices cannot be high. I therefore have to use components with the best quality/price ratio.

This is the reason why I decided to test a new family of FPGAs. I chose the Efinix brand and the FPGA TRION range. I know absolutely nothing about these components. Before ordering a development kit, I tested the IDE and, despite a small compilation problem, quickly corrected with a patch provided by Efinix, I was able to compile a previous Gowin FPGA project without problem, namely the FPGA implementation of the µPF1. 

Although for the moment I have not produced anything concrete with these new components, I believe I was able to successfully complete the 'feasibility' tests.

So, I ordered an Efinix kit:

The adventure goes on ;-)

GoWin FPGA & µPF--1

To finalize my uPF--1 compatible board, I decided to implement the Wichit Sirichote's project : 

I have already done this work a few years ago, but based on an Intel FPGA. Since then, I have improved in the VHDL language. 

So I take advantage of this to code the whole machine again in this GoWin FPGA, also taking advantage of the improvements made by the new versions of certain components and the SDCC compiler, as well as the modifications that I have made myself.

This little development machine is very interesting. It allows you to become familiar with the operating principles of microprocessors. 

Modern processors like ARM for example, still work the same way. Understanding how a Z80 works is a very good learning exercise. Much better I think than Arduinos, which, if they have a whole bunch of 'fun' advantages, mask a large part of the real functioning of the processors.

And now with the startup messages:

At the time, I called my work uPF--2. I will continue to name this little machine that way.

This is not a priority project. I will advance it as I can, over time...

Chinese components and GoWin FPGAs. Is it worth?

It's been a few years since I mentioned the rise of China in the supply of original components. GoWin is one of those companies that for several years has developed a series of FPGAs.

So I thought it was time to try this type of components. For this I managed to get the programming tool GWU2X :

The development software tool is available directly on the GoWin site. I also had to find a development board equipped with an original GoWin FPGA. I couldn't really find what suited me on the market, so I decided to develop my own board, in Qmtech format, since I had developed a few projects with this board format: 

Very recently, I managed to implement the 'Hello World' (the blinking led) on this board. The next step was very ambitious, namely trying to implement a complete Z80 system within this FPGA. 

So, I chose to try installing the Microprofessor version 1B system on the electronic board dedicated to this small vintage computer:

The uPF--1 original board

It took me a few hours to familiarize myself with the GoWin development environment, as well as to make the necessary small modifications to my VHDL code to make this FPGA compatible with the uPF--1 system. 

So, after a few hours of work, the result is there:

I did not attempt to implement all the hardware resources of the uPF--1, that was not the goal. I just wanted to see if I could get the same services with this FPGA as with the ones I usually use like Altera (Intel now) circuits. The goal is reached. I now think I can continue to develop using these GoWin circuits.

Conclusion: I appreciate these circuits which seem to me easier to use than the Xilinx or Altera circuits. The entire development chain is easy to understand. The necessary resources are available on the web. There are few ways of doing of the software development that could be improved a bit. But this is more of a personal matter...

In short: practical component to use. Easy to use development chain: cool!

GOWIN FPGA

I'm always looking for easy to use components. As far as FPGAs are concerned, their implementation is not always easy nor always cheap (multi-voltage, external EEPROM, etc.)

As a result, I had noticed that the series of FPGAs from the GoWin brand, seemed relatively simpler to implement than the major standards such as Altera or Xilinx.

So I decided to make a prototype board. I chose the module format offered by QMTECH because I have some developments that use them. This way, I can eventually place the GoWin module instead of the QMTECH modules.

The result looks like this:

To be able to program these FPGAs, it is absolutely necessary to obtain the programming dongle. I chose the 'GoWin USB cable' (GWU2X). It's inexpensive and easy to install. The procedure of installation is described in the dongle documentation.

Once these elements have been purchased and made, all that remains is to connect them. The detection of the FPGA is done without problem. 

I had obviously made a mistake by setting up a resistance of bad value, subsequently replaced by one of good value (red circles).

If I publish this little post, it is obviously because the functional test has passed. The 'Hello World' works without problems. The user LED is flashing correctly.

I just got an example from GoWin and modified the output pins according to the characteristics of my module. 

Most of the work is done, ie the discovery and implementation of the entire development and programming chain. It now remains to really take control of this FPGA. This is a 4 000 gates model. I'll see if I can implement a minimum Z80 system there...

For this, I will use my µPF2 compatible board in which was currently inserted a QMETCH module equipped with Altera FPGA:

My GoWin FPGA-based module fits perfectly in place of the Qmtech module:

For the moment I absolutely do not know if I will be able to place a minimum system in this GoWin FPGA. I know that the number of gates used in the original design is less than 4000 gates so it should be fine but on the one hand I have no experience on the GoWin development tool, and I don't know if I can transpose the number of gates used on this new FPGA. I hope that my experiments will allow me to answer these questions...

Gowin FPGA

 I just received the PCBs for testing the Gowin 144 pin FPGA :

Yes, seen like that, it's not very 'sexy'. But hey, it will be, I hope...