Altera FPGA Training Kit

Altera EP4C FPGA Training Kit

FPGA motherboard with mounted EP4C FPGA and expansion ports, USB Blaster debugger and programmer and accessory package A (Touch screen, USB, Ethernet, memory etc). Comes with free development software (Quartus II, NIOS II etc.), sample code (Verilog, VHDL and NIOS II C), schematics and documentation.

Altera EP4C FPGA NIOS II board

Simple way to get started with Altera FPGA. The main board has expansion ports for a range of peripherals in package A and a core board mounting an Altera EP4CE10 FPGA.

Kit includes a programmer and debugger, USB Blaster

Simple Expansion

The main board has connections for your own peripherals or a wide range of accessory boards. These just plug-in to the main board making this a truly modular system. Demo (Verilog | VHDL | NIOS) Code is available for all peripherals, making ideal for Nios II development.

Motherboard Details

1. FPGA CPLD core board connector: for easily connecting core boards which integrate an FPGA CPLD chip onboard
2. 8I/Os_1 interface, for connecting accessory boards/modules
3. 8I/Os_2 interface, for connecting accessory boards/modules
4. 16I/Os_1 interface, for connecting accessory boards/modules
5. 16I/Os_2 interface, for connecting accessory boards/modules
6. 32I/Os_1 interface, for connecting accessory boards/modules
7. 32I/Os_2 interface, for connecting accessory boards/modules
8. 32I/Os_3 interface, for connecting accessory boards/modules
All these I/O interfaces above:
• capable of being simulated as USART, I2C, SPI, PS/2, etc.
• capable of driving devices such as FRAM, FLASH, USB, Ethernet, etc.
9. SDRAM interface
   • for connecting SDRAM accessory board
   • also works as FPGA CPLD pins expansion connectors
10. LCD interface, for connecting LCD22, LCD12864, LCD1602
11. ONE-WIRE interface: easily connects to ONE-WIRE devices (TO-92 package), such as temperature sensor (DS18B20), electronic registration number (DS2401), etc.
12. 5V DC connector - 2.1mm barrel
13. Joystick: five positions
14. Buzzer
15. Potentiometer: for LCD22 backlight adjustment, or LCD12864, LCD1602 contrast adjustment
16. Power switch
17. Buzzer jumper
18. ONE-WIRE jumper
19. Joystick jumper

For jumpers 17-19:

• short the jumper to connect to I/Os used in example code
• open the jumper to connect to other custom pins via jumper wires

Plug in CoreEP4CE10 Board

1. EP4CE10F17C8N:the ALTERA Cyclone IV FPGA device which features:
   • Operating Frequency: 50MHz
   • Operating Voltage: 1.15V～3.465V
   • Package: BGA256
   • I/Os: 164
   • LEs: 10K
   • RAM: 414kb
   • PLLs: 2
   • Debugging/Programming: supports JTAG
2. AMS1117-3.3 (on bottom side), 3.3V voltage regulator
3. AMS1117-2.5 (on bottom side), 2.5V voltage regulator
4. AMS1117-1.2 (on bottom side), 1.2V voltage regulator
5. EPCS16, onboard serial FLASH memory, for storing code
6. Power indicator
7. LEDs
8. Reset button
9. nCONFIG button: for re-configuring the FPGA chip, the equivalent of power reseting
10. 50M active crystal
11. JTAG interface: for debugging/programming
12. FPGA pins expander, VCC, GND and all the I/O ports are accessible on expansion connectors for further expansion

Accessory Package A for Altera Cylone 1V EP4C FPGA Kit

These accessories all plug into the FPGA main board as a modular system. Schematics and sample code (VHDL, Verilog, NIOS II C) are all available for use with free Quartus Software.

Package Contents

1. 3.2inch 320x240 Touch LCD x 1
2. 3.2inch LCD Adapter (B) x 1
3. VGA PS2 Board x 1
4. PL2303 USB UART Board (mini) x 1
5. NorFlash Board (B) x 1
6. SDRAM Board (B) x 1
7. Micro SD Storage Board x 1
8. AT45DBXX DataFlash Board x 1
9. FM24CLXX FRAM Board x 1
10. CY7C68013A USB Board (mini) x 1
11. ENC28J60 Ethernet Board x 1
12. PCF8563 RTC Board x 1
13. DS18B20 (temperature sensor) x 1
14. USB type A plug to mini-B plug cable x 1

Training Kit Contents

1. OpenEP4CE10-C development board x 1
2. 4-pin wire x 2
3. 2-pin wire x 2
4. USB power cable x 1
5. User guide CD x 1
6. Accessory kit A
7. USB Blaster

The CD contains

• Related Software (Quartus II, NIOS II etc.)
• Demo Code (Verilog, VHDL and NIOS II C)
• Schematic (PDF)
• FPGA Development Documentations (Datasheets etc.)

You can download software from this link - Intel have taken over Altera FPGA but software is still free - make sure you download Quartus Prime Lite edition not Pro or Standard.

Software Download Center