Difference between revisions of "FPGA"

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A '''field-programmable gate array''' ('''FPGA''') is a type of technology that can reconfigure itself after it has been manufactured. To program an FPGA chip, developers use a hardware descriptor language as opposed to adhering to an instruction set or programming language. Using [[wikipedia:Hardware_description_language|HDLs]], they describe the components and logic of the original hardware so that it can be compiled for use by the array. FPGAs have become especially useful in emulation as it allows for connectivity with cartridges and more features beyond what the original console accomplished.
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A '''[[wikipedia:Field-programmable gate array|field-programmable gate array]]''' ('''FPGA''') is a type of microchip that can reconfigure itself after it has been manufactured, hence "field-programmable". The technology has found use in emulation as it can reimplement the hardware without having to resort to any kind of binary translation to a computer platform's native code. Instead of adhering to an instruction set or a programming language, FPGA chips are instead programmed using a [[wikipedia:Hardware_description_language|hardware descriptor language]] (HDL) that describes the components and logic needed to run the software. This programming isn't permanent; corrections and other changes can be made afterwards so that it isn't limited to one application like an [[wikipedia:Application-specific integrated circuit|ASIC]].
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Despite what one may think, FPGAs are not a new technology; they've been around for as long as Macintoshes have been, with manufacturer Altera being the first to introduce an FPGA to the market in 1984. While they already had use in aftermarket cartridges (like setting up mappers for ROMs like the SD2SNES does), using them in place of entire consoles was considered esoteric until commercial devices using FPGAs were released in the mid to late 2010s.
 
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==History==
 
==History==
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! scope="col"|Reimplements
 
! scope="col"|Reimplements
 
! scope="col"|MSRP
 
! scope="col"|MSRP
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! scope="col"|Notes
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|-
 +
|[https://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=78&osCsid=05a4f65cfe6cec795582b911953c4919 AVS]
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|retroUSB
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|[[Nintendo Entertainment System emulators|Nintendo Entertainment System]]
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|$185
 +
|
 
|-
 
|-
|[https://www.analogue.co/pages/super-nt/ Super Nt]
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|[https://www.analogue.co/mega-sg/ MegaSG]
 
|Analogue
 
|Analogue
|[[Super Nintendo emulators|Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]
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|[[Sega Genesis emulators|Sega Genesis]]
 
|$189
 
|$189
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|
 
|-
 
|-
 
|[https://www.analogue.co/pages/nt-mini/ Nt Mini]
 
|[https://www.analogue.co/pages/nt-mini/ Nt Mini]
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|[[Nintendo Entertainment System emulators|Nintendo Entertainment System]]
 
|[[Nintendo Entertainment System emulators|Nintendo Entertainment System]]
 
|$449/$499
 
|$449/$499
 +
|
 +
|-
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|[https://www.analogue.co/pocket/ Pocket]
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|Analogue
 +
|Multi-system
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|$199
 
|-
 
|-
|[https://www.analogue.co/mega-sg/ MegaSG]
+
|[https://www.analogue.co/pages/super-nt/ Super Nt]
 
|Analogue
 
|Analogue
|[[Sega Genesis emulators|Sega Genesis]]
+
|[[Super Nintendo emulators|Super Nintendo Entertainment System]]
 
|$189
 
|$189
 +
|
 
|-
 
|-
|[https://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?cPath=36&products_id=78&osCsid=05a4f65cfe6cec795582b911953c4919 AVS]
+
! scope="col"|
|retroUSB
+
! scope="col"|
|[[Nintendo Entertainment System emulators|Nintendo Entertainment System]]
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! scope="col"|DIY
|$185
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! scope="col"|
|}<!--
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! scope="col"|
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|-
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|[[MiSTer]]
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|MiSTer-devel<br />(Base hardware: Terasic DE10-Nano)
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|8-bit & 16-bit consoles, computers & some arcade games, [https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Main_MiSTer/wiki etc] (See [https://github.com/MiSTer-devel Git llnk])
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|$220 min<br />(Separate items)
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|Fully packaged forms can be found for much cheaper via [https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/Main_MiSTer/wiki/How-to-get-your-own-addon-boards sellers]. [https://www.retrorgb.com/mister.html Start guide].
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|}
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===Notes===
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There are a number of alternative DIY FPGA units with a bit less power than the MiSTer FPGA. These are really only good for running cores of 8-bit and 16-bit systems.
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They are:
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* [https://manuferhi.com/p/sidi SiDi]
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* Victor Trucco's collection ([https://gitlab.com/victor.trucco/Multicore_Bitstreams Gitlab set] for Brazilian market):
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- neptUNO
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- Multi-Core
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- Multi-Core 2+
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==External links==
 
==External links==
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==References==
 
==References==
 
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==See also==
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* [[Emulation Boxes]] - Devices that make use of microprocessors and software emulators instead of programmable chips.
  
 
[[Category:FAQs]]
 
[[Category:FAQs]]
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[[Category:Not really emulators]]

Revision as of 14:18, 15 April 2022

A field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is a type of microchip that can reconfigure itself after it has been manufactured, hence "field-programmable". The technology has found use in emulation as it can reimplement the hardware without having to resort to any kind of binary translation to a computer platform's native code. Instead of adhering to an instruction set or a programming language, FPGA chips are instead programmed using a hardware descriptor language (HDL) that describes the components and logic needed to run the software. This programming isn't permanent; corrections and other changes can be made afterwards so that it isn't limited to one application like an ASIC.

Despite what one may think, FPGAs are not a new technology; they've been around for as long as Macintoshes have been, with manufacturer Altera being the first to introduce an FPGA to the market in 1984. While they already had use in aftermarket cartridges (like setting up mappers for ROMs like the SD2SNES does), using them in place of entire consoles was considered esoteric until commercial devices using FPGAs were released in the mid to late 2010s.

List of aftermarket reimplementations

Product Manufacturer Reimplements MSRP Notes
AVS retroUSB Nintendo Entertainment System $185
MegaSG Analogue Sega Genesis $189
Nt Mini Analogue Nintendo Entertainment System $449/$499
Pocket Analogue Multi-system $199
Super Nt Analogue Super Nintendo Entertainment System $189
DIY
MiSTer MiSTer-devel
(Base hardware: Terasic DE10-Nano)
8-bit & 16-bit consoles, computers & some arcade games, etc (See Git llnk) $220 min
(Separate items)
Fully packaged forms can be found for much cheaper via sellers. Start guide.

Notes

There are a number of alternative DIY FPGA units with a bit less power than the MiSTer FPGA. These are really only good for running cores of 8-bit and 16-bit systems. They are:

- neptUNO
- Multi-Core
- Multi-Core 2+

See also

  • Emulation Boxes - Devices that make use of microprocessors and software emulators instead of programmable chips.