SFP version of NetFPGA-1G-CML

[bcrl]

Hi all,

 

I am wondering if it is possible to modify the design of the NetFPGA-1G-CML to use SFP (or SFP+) modules instead of 1000base-T.  My main interest is in having a board on which it is possible to implement fibre based protocols like GEPON.  Are the schematics and layout available for third parties to modify, or is this something Digilent could implement?

[sbobrowicz]

Understood, the SUME is priced towards academic and industry customers. 

 

I'll run your request for a SFP+ spin of the NetFPGA-1G-CML up the chain, but truth be told, its not likely that we will be putting something like this out any time soon. We do take on OEM projects, but I don't think something like that would be in your price range either unless you have high quantities in mind.

 

I think your best bet would be to use the NetFPGA-1G-CML and to find an SFP+ FMC mezzanine card. There seem to be a few options available out there. You will want to be careful though: the transceivers on the Kintex part of that board are only rated to 8 Gbps, so you won't be able to run SFP+ modules at 10 gbps directly from them. You could try overclocking them, but no guarantees it will work. If you use this one: http://www.xilinx.com/products/boards-and-kits/1-3y8uy5.html, then you can get a single 10 gbps port, but I don't know if that would work for you or not.

 

Just had another thought. If you can wait for us to release this board https://flic.kr/p/qnLqB4, then you can use one of the FMC cards with it that tie SFP+ modules directly to the transceivers. It has a speed grade 2 FPGA that can support 10 gbps signaling. 

[sbobrowicz]

Have you checked out the NetFPGA SUME? http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?NavPath=2,400,1328&Prod=NETFPGA-10G-SUME

 

Do you think that could work for your design?

 

We provide the schematics (available here: https://github.com/cmlab/netfpga-1g-cml/wiki)but not the layout. 

[bcrl]

Unfortunately, I am not in academia, so the SUME board is an order of magnitude beyond what I can afford -- there's a pretty big gap between the 1G-CML board and the SUME board for those of us in the open source but non-academic world.  If an SFP+ version of the NetFPGA-1G-CML existed, it would also be an option to use it for 10G projects that don't need the full resources of the SUME board.  It doesn't look like it would be a huge amount of work to remove the gige phys and wire the transceivers directly up to an SFP cage with access to the existing layout.  Starting from scratch would be a pretty significant time sink.