Is the Spartan 3AN700 FPGA the same as the Spartan-3E Starter Board?

[zwarren85]

I'm trying to build something I found from this research group (http://demillegroup.yale.edu/shared-files-theses), and they used a Spartan 3AN700 FPGA, which does not seem available for purchase anywhere.

When I look at their images, their board says Spartan-3, not Spartan-3E. And the board layout is slightly different.

This is what they used: http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/xilinx-inc/HW-SPAR3AN-SK-UNI-G/122-1528-ND/1635150

Is it the same as this? http://store.digilentinc.com/spartan-3e-starter-board-limited-time/

[D@n]

It sounds like the SPARTAN 3AN700 board you are referencing is built around a SPARTAN 3AN with 700k gates.  This would be different from the Spartan-3E development board sold by Digilent which is built around a Spartan 3E having 500k gates.  You can find more details comparing the two FPGA's at the core of these two boards here.  So, while you might manage to make a Spartan-3AN design work on a Spartan-3E, it's not guaranteed.

Personally, when I think of all the work you might find yourself doing to get the Spartan-3AN design working on a Spartan 3E board, I would personally suggest that you consider upgrading to a more modern board--such as one of the Artix-7 boards that uses the new Vivado development environment.  I mean, if you are going to have to go through the pain of porting anyway, you might as well just port directly to a more modern and supported board. 

As you select replacement boards, do be careful to match peripherals.  You'll want to know that the board you choose still has the peripheral interface necessary to run the servo controller you need.

Just my two cents,

Dan

[Gra]

Hi Zwarren,

The Spartan 3A and Spartan 3AN development board have the same peripherals.

The 3A was more common than the 3AN, so probably easier to find one of those.

 

Having said that, here is a 3AN on ebay

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Xilinx-Spartan-3AN-Non-volatile-Secure-FPGA-Development-Board-Starter-/262340836625?hash=item3d14bb7d11:g:u2gAAOSwr7ZW65bP

 

Gra