Actel Introduces Enhanced Low-Cost Starter Kit for Flash-Based FPGAs
Turnkey Solution Includes New FS2 Logic Navigator Software for Debug
and Larger ProASICPLUS FPGA Device
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., December 06, 2004 —
Actel Corporation
(Nasdaq: ACTL) today announced the availability of an enhanced low-cost
starter kit for its widely used family of flash-based, reprogrammable
ProASICPLUS field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Without
raising the cost of the starter kit, Actel now offers designers an evaluation
board with a 300K-gate ProASICPLUS FPGA in a PQ208 package,
a larger gate-count device than was included in previous versions of
the starter kit. The new ProASICPLUS starter kit also includes
a compact, easy-to-use FlashPro Lite programmer and First Silicon Solutions'
(FS2's) Logic Navigator software for debug, which is provided on a CD
for a free 45-day evaluation period by default.
"ProASICPLUS designers now have expanded capabilities
in the new release of the starter kit," said Saloni Howard-Sarin,
director antifuse and tools marketing at Actel. "The integration
of the Logic Navigator debugging capability and the higher gate-count
APA300 device allows designers to prototype more designs and get them
to market faster at the same low price."
The Logic Navigator software uses the programmer already included in
the ProASICPLUS starter kit, requiring no additional debug
hardware, thereby providing designers with a cost-effective way to evaluate
both the ProASICPLUS device and the debug capabilities of
the software. Further, upgrades to the compact, easy-to-use FlashPro
Lite programmer provide designers with the ability to vary the test clock
(TCK) frequency to address signal integrity issues in hardware, a feature
with capabilities similar to the more expensive FlashPro programmer.
"Actel and FS2 have a long-standing relationship, first with the
development of the FlashPro and FlashPro Lite series of programmers and
now with our Logic Navigator solution," said Rick Leatherman, president
of FS2. "The Logic Navigator debug software is tightly integrated
with the FlashPro series of programmers to support insystem programming
through the JTAG interface. With Logic Navigator software, designers
will be able to expedite the debugging process and reduce the time required
to complete their ProASICPLUS designs."
With the new starter kit, Actel customers are able to explore various
benefits of the nonvolatile, low-power FPGAs, including in-system programmability
(ISP), I/O advantages and Actel's FlashLock on-chip security system.
Additionally, users will be able to efficiently evaluate the performance
and functionality of their designs for cost-sensitive application-specific
integrated circuit (ASIC) alternative applications in many markets, including
industrial, communications, networking and avionics.
The complete starter kit consists of an evaluation board with a 300K-gate
APA300 ProASICPLUS device, Actel Libero Gold integrated design
environment (IDE), the FlashPro Lite programmer, Logic Navigator software
CD, programming cables, power supply, software, tutorials and support
documentation. Licenses for Logic Navigator are available from FS2 for
a free 45-day evaluation period at any time the user wishes to use the
debug feature.
Within the Actel Libero Gold IDE, customers will have access to Mentor
Graphics' ModelSim® simulation and design verification software, Synplicity's
Synplify® synthesis software, and the Actel Designer Series place-and-route
software. Designers will also have the ability to generate a STAPL file
that can be used for programming the kit's evaluation board using Actel's
low-cost programmer.
Pricing and Availability
The enhanced ProASICPLUS starter kit will be available by
the end of the year for $249. For further information about pricing and
availability, please contact Actel.
About ProASICPLUS
The ProASICPLUS family, Actel's second-generation of flash-based
FPGAs, consists of seven devices ranging in density from 75,000 to 1-million
system gates. The combination of a fine-grained, single-chip ASIC-like
architecture and nonvolatile reprogrammable flash construction makes
Actel's ProASICPLUS offering a strong ASIC alternative. The
devices are live at power-up, low power, highly secure and require no
separate configuration memory, all characteristics shared by ASICs. The
ProASICPLUS architecture and design methodology support popular
FPGA and ASIC tool flows, reducing time to market and permitting designers
to migrate easily between FPGA and ASIC solutions. Key features of the
ProASICPLUS family include multiple phase-locked loops (PLLs),
support for up to 198k bits of two-port embedded SRAM and 712 user-configurable
I/Os, and improved ISP.
About Actel
Actel Corporation is a supplier
of innovative programmable logic solutions, including field-programmable
gate arrays (FPGAs) based on antifuse and flash technologies, high-performance
intellectual property (IP) cores, software development tools and design
services, targeted for the high-speed communications, application-specific
integrated circuit (ASIC) replacement and radiation-tolerant markets.
Founded in 1985, Actel employs more than 500 people worldwide. The
Company is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol ACTL
and is headquartered at 2061 Stierlin Court, Mountain View, CA, 94043-4655.
Telephone: 888-99-ACTEL (992-2835). Internet:: http://www.actel.com.
Contact: Stephanie Mrus, Actel Corporation, 650.318.4614
