[sci.electronics] PAL/GAL/EPLD's

robf@mcs213j.cs.umr.edu (Rob Fugina) (03/27/91)

In article <970023@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com> ahill@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com (Andy Hill) writes:
>Shoot, if you only need three of the silly things, why don't you just
>program it into a PAL?  More expensive than TTL, but beats buying 300
>items...

Since someone mentioned these things a few days ago, I've tried to find info
about them...  A few people on the net have been very helpful, as have been
some people in the EE department of my campus.  I went to the EE hobbyists'
club and asked if they had a PAL programmer and the person I talked to said
"No, but I've been looking for one, so if you find one..."  The department's
resident computer engineer turned out to have one that I can use.  No source
on campus for the actual chips, though.  I went back to the hobby club and
they let me borrow some books...(Lattice, TI, Cypress, and Altera data books)
but the books have nothing specific about the format of the spec file needed
to program the chips.  The computer engineer said he had only one copy of the
manual for the software that goes with the programmer.  Would this be the
only book that would have this info?  I'd like a beginner-type book on this
stuff...

And before anybody says it, I can't find the second edition of "The Art of
Electronics"...

Rob  robf@cs.umr.edu

lrk@k5qwb.UUCP (Lyn R. Kennedy) (03/28/91)

robf@mcs213j.cs.umr.edu (Rob Fugina) writes:

> In article <970023@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com> ahill@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com (Andy Hill) w
> >Shoot, if you only need three of the silly things, why don't you just
> >program it into a PAL?  More expensive than TTL, but beats buying 300
> >items...
> 
> Since someone mentioned these things a few days ago, I've tried to find info
> about them...  A few people on the net have been very helpful, as have been
> some people in the EE department of my campus.  I went to the EE hobbyists'

If I understood your posting right (8 bit binary to BCD) you can do
it with any EPROM with 8 or more address bits and 8 data bits. Get
your local hobbyist to program the BCD codes at the proper addresses
and connect the upper address bits to ground.


---------
                 lrk@k5qwb.UUCP    lrk%k5qwb@kf5iw.UUCP
73,              utacfd.utarl.edu!letni!rwsys!kf5iw!k5qwb!lrk
Lyn Kennedy      K5QWB @ N5LDD.#NTX.TX.US
                 P.O. Box 5133, Ovilla, TX, USA 75154

-------- "We have met the enemy and they are us."  Pogo -----------------

robf@mcs213k.cs.umr.edu (Rob Fugina) (03/29/91)

In article <39VHZ1w163w@k5qwb.UUCP> lrk@k5qwb.UUCP (Lyn R. Kennedy) writes:
>robf@mcs213j.cs.umr.edu (Rob Fugina) writes:
>If I understood your posting right (8 bit binary to BCD) you can do
>it with any EPROM with 8 or more address bits and 8 data bits. Get
>your local hobbyist to program the BCD codes at the proper addresses
>and connect the upper address bits to ground.
>Lyn Kennedy      K5QWB @ N5LDD.#NTX.TX.US

I'm not the one that wanted to know that...I just want to learn more about
the programmable logic stuff...right now, I need to get ahold of some
software...

Rob  robf@cs.umr.edu

markz@ssc.UUCP (Mark Zenier) (03/30/91)

In <2492@umriscc.isc.umr.edu>, robf@mcs213j.cs.umr.edu (Rob Fugina) writes:
> In <970023@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com> ahill@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com (Andy Hill) writes:
> >Shoot, if you only need three of the silly things, why don't you just
> >program it into a PAL?  
> 
> Since someone mentioned these things a few days ago, I've tried to find info
> about them...  
> No source on campus for the actual chips, though.  

Active (800 677-8899) and Arrow (800 93A-RROW) and JDR (see the back of
Computer Shopper) sell PLDs.

> they let me borrow some books...(Lattice, TI, Cypress, and Altera data books)
> but the books have nothing specific about the format of the spec file needed
> to program the chips.  

Usually you end up using vendor or third party (ABEL, CUPL ...) design
software.  Sort of like a compiler where you don't worry about what
the object module file format is.

> I'd like a beginner-type book on this stuff.

A good book is "Programmable Logic Designer's Guide" by Roger C. Alford
published by Howard W. Sams, 1989.  It covers device architecture, and
design software.  

Mark Zenier   markz@ssc.uucp  mzenier@polari.uucp