Genesys2 vs KC705 in terms of FMC connectivity

[OscarBarajas]

Hi all, 

We are a small startup looking for an pga development platform. We need a fast ADC/DAC FMC board and right now we're looking at the fmc163 from abaco https://www.abaco.com/products/fmc163-fpga-mezzanine-card. The board needs an FMC connector that conforms to the ANSI/VITA57.1 standard. I called Abaco and they confirmed it works with the Xilix KC705 kit https://www.xilinx.com/products/boards-and-kits/ek-k7-kc705-g.html via this adapter https://dedicatedsystems.com.au/products/fmc700/ but couldn't confirm compatibility with the genesys2 board directly. I couldn't find any information as to if the genesys2 actually supports high speed ADC boards through the vita57.1 connector or not.  Given that both boards seem to use the exact same FPGA (XC7K325T-2FFG900C) It is very important for me to know if it will work. Thank you.

[jpeyron]

Hi @OscarBarajas,

Here is a forum thread that discusses that the Genesys 2's FMC is VITA.57-compliant. Unfortunately,  I have not worked with the FMC 163 and the Genesys 2 so I would not be able to confirm that it is compatible. I have reached out to a more experience engineers to see if they have any input on the compatibility of the FMC 163 and the Genesys 2.

thank you,

Jon 

[zygot]

I can't provide the kind of answer that you want but I can tell you what I'd do. I have a limited budget for making mistakes ( as I assume that you do ) and have used both the Genesys2 and KC705 with FMC mezzanine boards for tens of projects. I'd select a an FPGA board ADC/DAC board pair with a known working demo that is similar to what I need to accomplish and published source code. A programmable GTX clock for the transceiver, if transceivers are required, may be necessary to support you intended data rates and at least provides flexibility. The Genesys2 does not provide this. I can't remember if the KC705 does but I can check ( my recollection is that it does ). The price of the KC705 is not much higher than the Genesys2 without an academic discount and has PCIe and 1 HPC and 1 LPC FMC connector plus a lot of design examples that might provide some insight as to what issues you might run into with your project. Opinions are nice but the buyer has to do the heavy lifting as far as leg work to determine how to select boards and components for a particular application. The KC705 comes with a node locked license for the XC7K325T-2FFG900C if needed and the Genesys2 requires spending a small amount ( as I recall... )

[JColvin]

My understanding was that the Genesys 2 did come with a voucher for the Design Edition of Vivado.

[zygot]

@JColvin

You may well be correct about the free voucher... it's been too long ago for me to remember for sure.

[zygot]

@OscarBarajas,

As to a particular FPGA device this isn't so important as what the options for IO bank supply voltage are as these determine what logic standards you interface can support. The Genesys2 does very well in this area as does the KC705. You need to check the schematic and reference manuals. I haven't used the transceivers routed through the FMC connectors for wither board so I can't offer any opinions here. I can say, as far as I've used them, the engineer who did the FMC board for the Genesys2 did a great job; same for the KC705. You'll want to compare the robustness of the power supply as well as the DDR external memory capability. I have no idea what your requirements for control or passing data between the FPGA board and say, a PC, are but this is clearly something to think about.

I'm only offering the additional thoughts because they popped up as I was responding to Mr. Colvin. Obviously, what I've said is not comprehensive... but you can always continue the thread...

good luck ( hard work improves luck )