Any Open Source Tools for Lattice ispMACH 4000? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: iry100fan
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 31, 2022, 03:41:39 am
content: Hi Everyone,Semi-recently, Lattice decided to revoke the free licenses for their ispLEVER Classic software that I use for their ispMACH 4000 CPLDs. I use there chips for open source projects and for fun, so I have no plans on ponying up the $600/year for licensing the Lattice tools. Is anyone aware if there are any cheaper tools and/or (preferably) any open source tools available that can be used to synthesis and program Lattice ispMACH 4000 CPLD chips?Thanks.-Brian

author: Beta_vulgaris
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2022, 07:51:46 am
content: The ispMACH family formerly from AMD, you can just use the fitter to convert PLA files. PLA file can be generated by ABEL or CUPL, and Protel is capable of schematic based design. Also, altering the executable file to bypass the license check is often feasible, since ispLEVER is the Lattice OEM version of Data I/O Synario, which ismore than twenty years old, easy to analyze and find the code that does the check.

author: MapleLeaf
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 31, 2022, 01:47:10 pm
content: Ran into the same problem but i have an old Lattice licence that was supposed to be forever, Not! The license file even states "forever" in it. Boy was i pissed off. I have a bunch of old 5v CPLDs that i use in retro projects. I got around the problem by loading my old copy of Lattice on a PC running XP that has its date/time set back about 10 years and no internet. I no longer use Lattice products in new designs at work.

author: iry100fan
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 31, 2022, 02:54:17 pm
content: Thank you everyone for the replies.Reading these message triggered a notion of "just set the date back". I did and the software started working again. Since I am mainly a Linux user, I run ispLEVER in a virtual machine so changing the date for the VM doesn't really affect my daily computer usage.Lattice was my "go-to" programmable logic manufacturer because they have nice products that are affordable and some of their stuff if 5V tolerant. Unfortunately, I cannot trust Lattice not to pull this stunt again with their other products so they are off my list of companies to deal with. It's a bit unfair of me to criticize them this way because they are a company which needs to turn a profit to stay in business and the few parts I buy from them don't really mean anything to their bottom line, but I still feel a bit taken.Thanks.-Brian

author: dbur
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 12, 2025, 12:37:07 am
content: Thanks for the hint on changing the date. I needed to take a look at a design I did last year and it won't even let you see your work without the license. Setting my system date back to the license term and starting ispLEVER again worked a charm. After you start it you can set your system date to sync again. A simple hotkeys script could probably do all this with one dbl click. (Win 10)I'll probably have to start using virtual machines when win 11 is forced on us, if it's really not compatible.