HC4GX15 Datasheet, PDF (172/668 Pages) Altera Corporation – HardCopy IV Device Handbook

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Chapter 1: HardCopy IV Design Flow Using the Quartus II Software
HardCopy Advisor
HardCopy Advisor
The HardCopy Advisor in the Quartus II software plays an important role in
HardCopy IV device development. The HardCopy Advisor guides you through a
sequence of recommendations, descriptions, and actions. You can track your design
progress, generate the design, and complete the comparison archiving and handoff
file that you send to the Altera^® HardCopy Design Center.
1 To develop the HardCopy IV design, run the HardCopy Advisor in the Quartus II
software after you select the Stratix IV device and the HardCopy IV companion
devices. To run the HardCopy Advisor, on the Project menu, point to HardCopy
Utilities and click HardCopy Advisor.
FPGA and HardCopy Companion Device Planning
For both the HardCopy IV device and Stratix IV prototype planning, the first stage is
to choose the device family, device density, speed grade, and package that best suits
your design needs. Assuming a Stratix IV device first flow, select the Stratix IV device
and HardCopy IV companion device based on the best resource balance for your
design requirements. Perform this task before compiling your design in a third-party
synthesis tool or the Quartus II software.
f
For information about the features available in each device density, including logic,
memory blocks, multipliers, and phase-locked loops (PLLs), as well as the various
package offerings and I/O pin counts, refer to volume 1 of the HardCopy IV Device
Handbook.
Logic Resources
During HardCopy IV device planning, determine the required logic density of the
Stratix IV prototype and HardCopy IV companion device. Devices with more logic
resources can implement larger and potentially more complex designs. Smaller
devices have less logic resources available and benefit from lower power
consumption. Select a device that meets your design needs with some margin, in case
you want to add more logic later in the design cycle.
f For information about logic resources in HardCopy IV devices, refer to the
HardCopy IV Device Family Overview chapter.
I/O Pin and Package Offering
HardCopy IV devices offer pin-to-pin compatibility with Stratix IV prototypes,
making them drop-in replacements for FPGAs. Due to this compatibility, the same
system board and software developed for the FPGA prototype can be retained,
enabling faster time to market for high volume production.
To further reduce the cost for HardCopy devices, HardCopy E devices offer
non-socket replacement mapping. For example, you can map the EP4SE230 device in
the 780-pin FBGA package to the HC4E25 device in the 484-pin FBGA package.
Because the pinout for the two packages are not the same, a separate board design is
required for the Stratix IV device and the HardCopy IV E device.
HardCopy IV Device Handbook, Volume 2
© January 2010 Altera Corporation