Upgraded Kit Enables Touch Sensing, USB and Analog Reconfiguration via PSoC® Programmable System-on-Chip for $39

The upgraded kit includes the addition of Cypress’ CY3217 (MiniProg) Programmer to the Xilinx Spartan-3A FPGA Evaluation Kit, which enables touch sensing capability, USB connectivity and analog programming.

The Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas business region of Avnet, Inc. and Cypress Semiconductor Corp. have upgraded the Spartan®-3A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Evaluation Kit.

The upgraded kit includes the addition of Cypress’ CY3217 (MiniProg) Programmer to the Xilinx Spartan-3A FPGA Evaluation Kit, which enables touch sensing capability, USB connectivity and analog programming. The kits, which were released May 15, are being offered exclusively from Avnet for $39.

The Avnet Spartan-3A FPGA Evaluation Kit pairs Xilinx low-cost Spartan-3A 400A FPGA technology with the Cypress PSoC® programmable system-on-chip. PSoC delivers flexibility for high-volume applications by enabling FPGA configuration and Flash memory re-programming through a built-in USB interface, making it the perfect companion chip for FPGAs.

The included CY3217 MiniProg programmer and downloadable PSoC Designer™ software enables reconfiguration of the PSoC device for evaluating integrated USB connectivity, CapSense™ touch sensing, clocks and programmable analog functionality.     

“FPGA and embedded systems designers are looking for robust configuration solutions and fast, flexible integration of components and new features,” says Jim Cairns, senior marketing director for Cypress. “Adding the MiniProg enables prototyping with FPGA and PSoC reconfiguration, USB, CapSense touch sensing, clocks and analog inputs, making this kit an extraordinary value.” 

“In addition to being easy to use and improving system quality, a single PSoC device can integrate as many as 100 peripheral functions, resulting in faster design time, freeing up board space and reducing power consumption,” says Tim Barber, senior vice president of design chain business development worldwide for Avnet Electronics Marketing. “This offers customers flexibility and significant cost savings that will also reduce their time to market.”

To date Avnet has shipped two-thousand kits, with an additional two thousand kits available mid-October. For more information and to purchase, please visit: www.em.avnet.com/spartan3a-evl.