I know this probably isnt possible but... - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: sci4me
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2013, 11:45:54 pm
content: Hey guys. So, I have been working on designing a very simple CPU as a basic simple project for fun. Well, not simple but.. anywho, I was wondering if its in any way possible to have it put on to an actual chip. Not an FPGA but its own custom chip. I am just wondering if it is possible to do for a price that is ... well.. not a lot.. In the hundreds... Any more than a few hundred and i'm out of luck. If I can't have my own chip then I suppose I may settle with an FPGA but I would have to learn how to use FPGA's and get one.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 04, 2013, 11:48:59 pm
content: This is exactly what FPGAs are for. Rolling your own custom chip would cost a lot of money, and I don't even think chip houses would do it for orders of less than, say, a hundred thousand devices.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2013, 11:54:21 pm
content: Just strip off the Altera/Xilinx/Lattice branding.

author: sci4me
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2013, 11:54:47 pm
content: Okay. In that case, Ill use an FPGA if I ever actually make the CPU.

author: sci4me
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2013, 11:55:02 pm
content: Quote from: Stonent on July 04, 2013, 11:54:21 pmWill do

author: mariush
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 04, 2013, 11:57:07 pm
content: There was a mention on The Amp Hour podcast a few episodes ago about a company taking your designs and making actual chips out of them.. but all i remember was something about taking 4-8 months to actually have the chip in your hands.Go tohttp://www.theamphour.com/and read the episode summaries for the last 10-20 episodes or thereabouts if you're interested, sorry I don't know more accurately.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 05, 2013, 12:01:36 am
content: No, it's not possible to do your own chip for that price.FPGA's are:- Massively cheaper- Instant (don't have to wait many months)- Infinitely reprogrammable- Easier to use (that's saying a lot) and get help with.FPGA are designed specifically for what you want to do, use them.

author: sci4me
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2013, 12:07:34 am
content: Okay, and can anyone recommend me a fairly cheap (hundred dollar or so?) fpga kit that has everything I need to program it and get things working? Thanks.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2013, 01:28:16 am
content: Terasic design board.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 05, 2013, 01:52:24 am
content: Quote from: sci4me on July 05, 2013, 12:07:34 amDepends entirely on your design requirements.But something like this cheap DE0-Nano should do the jobhttp://www.terasic.com.tw/cgi-bin/page/archive.pl?Language=English&CategoryNo=139&No=593

author: notsob
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2013, 02:53:08 am
content: Just as a reality check, once you have designed your chip as a silicon entity ($$$ cost), there is a 'photographic' process - overlays etching etc to create the final silicon. Others with real world experience can put their 2 cents worth in here, but the cost of just the photographic 'plates' would be quite a few more times more expensive than the average house and that is before you start the fabrication process.

author: sci4me
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2013, 10:22:23 am
content: Okay, now I see why you are saying its not possible in my price range

author: romovs
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2013, 03:40:19 pm
content: Quote from: sci4me on July 05, 2013, 12:07:34 amXuLAboard. Comes with a nice tutorial for beginners and only 55USD.

author: hlavac
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2013, 05:25:36 pm
content: Terasic DE0 Nano. That has fairly big Altera Cyclone IV E. You can fit whole SoC with OpenRISC running Linux on it.Or, if your design is small, have a look at MachXO and MachXO2 breakout boards from Lattice.These are extremely cheap yet good way to learn VHDL/Verilog.For Xilinx you may look for some Spartan 6 boards like the one from Avnet.