The liquid crystal display (LCD) panel industry is undergoing significant changes. Driven by the market demand for portable systems, small and medium panels are now available in different sizes, resolutions, and color depths. Manufacturers are developing panels at a rapid rate, with each new panel offering improved features at a reduced cost. System designers integrating LCD display panels are faced with the challenge of choosing the right display for their applications. They need to not only consider the effort required to integrate current displays, but also anticipate incorporating new LCDs into the design during the product's life cycle. Redesigning the product is very expensive and can significantly affect the time to market, so designers need a solution that will enable them to incorporate the latest technology with minimal cost and effort. In addition, with new portable applications continuing to offer improved features and services, longer battery life is required for the application to be successful. As a result, designers must choose devices that consume less power. Actel's video demonstration platform showcases the IGLOO FPGA as a flexible LCD controller.
The IGLOO Video Demo Kit consists of an IGLOO video demo board and your choice of an LCD adapter board. You can choose from two plug-and-play display adapter boards mounted with different LCDs, ranging from 5.5" to 7", and resolutions from QVGA (320x240) to SVGA (800x480). You can also build your own customized LCD adapter board. The IGLOO video demo board has an IGLOO device that interfaces with several video/image sources, such as a digital visual interface (DVI) input and a CMOS sensor interface. In addition, off-chip memory is provided for data buffer and storage. » Buy now
Reference designs for this kit are available.
- Rapid evaluation and development platform with choice of multiple LCDs
- Flexibility of demonstrating different IP cores for display applications
- Ultra-low power IGLOO FPGA with Flash*Freeze technology
- Low static power and quick entry/exit from Flash*Freeze mode
- Free evaluation of IP cores with customizable display functions
- On-board devices
- Ultra-low power IGLOO AGL600-FG256 FPGA device
- Micron 2 MB x 32 SDRAM for frame buffer
- Numonyx™ 64 MB flash for image and data storage
- USB microcontroller
- Interfaces
- 5 user buttons and reset
- 2 RJ-45 connectors for 8 pairs of low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) outputs
- Plug-and-play to display adapter board via 50-pin connector
- DVI-D input
- 26-bit connector for Micron CMOS sensor head board
- JTAG programming connector
The IGLOO Video Demo Kit and adapter boards can be purchased from Avnet.
| Avnet Part Number |
Description |
| AES-IVDK-MB-G |
The IGLOO Video Demo Kit baseboard includes a soldered AGL600-FG256, used to perform the LCD controller functions. |
| AES-IVDK-NEC55-G |
The 5.5" LCD adapter board is mounted with a 320x240 (QVGA), 18-bit color TFT-LCD from NEC. This board plugs onto the IGLOO Video Demo Kit baseboard. |
| AES-IVDK-TOSH7-G |
The 7" LCD adapter board is mounted with a 800x480 (wide-VGA), 18-bit color TFT-LCD from Toshiba. This board plugs onto the IGLOO Video Demo Kit baseboard. |
Available Reference Designs from Actel
- DVI Input to LCD Reference Design
- Upscaling Reference Design
- Photo Viewer Reference Design
- Video and Still-Shot Camera Reference Design
- Video MUXing Reference Design
Learn more about these reference designs.
Available Reference Blocks from Partners
- Video Timing Generator
- Frame Buffer
- Frame Grabber
- Color Space Conversion
- Single-Channel LVDS Trasmitter
- On-Screen Display Engine
- Alpha Blending
- Color Management
For more information on these reference blocks, refer to the list of IP modules.
