Re: PCI core logic for Target needed.

[Dimiter Popoff <tgi_earth@yahoo.com>]

Daniel,

>I am trying to choose between a PCI interface glue chip and a Xilinx
>FPGA.
>
>I realize Xilinx sells a PCI core but it is way too pricey for a self
>employed person such as myself.

my experience with Xilinx shows that they will do anything they can
to make you depend on them and on their related third parties. I have
never had contact with a firm as uncooperative to small customers
as Xilinx. I had to do it, because I had designed the Coolrunner CPLD
in a product while it was Philips, and got most of the fusemap data from
them; I did not have a multiplexor describing table.  

Xilix asked me to first make for them $9 millions revenue per 3 months,
then they would give me the multiplexor fusemap data.

Needless to say, I decoded it myself (640 entries for a 64 cell
device, it took me two weeks to write the software which did it and
then use it to do it) and will probably place it on the web
soon (they could just have given it to me under NDA to prevent that).
I would not even consider a new Xilinx product - no chance to get
it specified so you can buy silicon from them and be independent
afterwads. Now they have invented the 'web-fitter', you send them
your PLD sources and get the binaries from them. They still don't
ask you to send your Gerber/Excellon files and the source code
you wrote last 10 years, we'll have to wait until they feel they
can get away with it for this to happen.

Dimiter

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dimiter Popoff
Transgalactic Instruments, Gourko Str. 25 b, 1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
http://transgalactic.freeyellow.com
Email: tgi@bulnet.bg, tgi_earth@yahoo.com
Phone: 00359/2992/3340, 00359/2/9805997, Fax: 00359/2/9540384