Finding a good FPGA development kit can be a tough proposition, especially with all of the different options out there. Some offer little in the way of fast I/O, and others lack small footprints, making them unwieldy. That's where the ButterStick excels. Created by Gregory Davill (also the creator of the Orange Crab), it features an ECP5 FPGA at its core with some impressive connectivity in a relatively small form factor.
If your looking to buy one, you can visit its GroupGets crowdfunding campaign page and also see other projects being launched with Hackster Launch.
As mentioned before, the ButterStick is a development board that is based around the Lattice ECP5 FPGA. Depending on the model, it either comes with 2Gbit (256MB) or 8Gbit (1GB) of fast DDR3 RAM, along with the following:
- Gigabit ethernet
- USB 2.0 (480Mbps) over USB C
- 128Mbit QSPI flash memory
- 4-bit SD MicroSD card slot
- 60MHz and 25MHz oscillators
- JTAG connector
- 7 User-controlled RGB LEDs
- 2 User-controlled buttons
- A pair of SYZYGY connectors that each have up to 32 single-ended I/O pins, 10 differential pairs, and dedicated clock input pins
- 1 SYZYGY transceiver connector with 14 single-ended I/O, 2x/4x Tx Lanes @ 5Gbps (SERDES), 2x/4x Rx Lanes @ 5Gbps (SERDES), and a reference clock input
The board comes in at 80mm wide and 49mm tall.
The main appeal of this board is the set of SYZYGY connectors onboard, and they allow the kit to connect to an entire ecosystem of ready-made modules that support super fast speeds, similar to MikroE Click Boards.
Some of these include standard breakout boards that expose the pins on an easily-accessible header, powerful analog-to-digital converters for doing signal processing, and even an all-in-one sensor board that contains GPS, environmental, and inertial sensors. When combined with gigabit Ethernet and onboard SD card storage, the possibilities are nearly endless.
Greg originally had created the OrangeCrab, which was a development board that also featured the same ECP5 FPGA but with the Feather pinout, meaning it lacked much of the fast I/O and connectivity many developers expect when working with FPGAs. So after going through two revisions (r0.1 and r0.2), he finally arrived at the current revision (r1.0). You can also see him solder a prototype together in this video:
Getting StartedIf all of this looks interesting, then make sure to visit the GroupGets page for the ButterStick, and after that, head over to the GitHub repository where you'll find example firmware, schematics, board designs, and more.
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