WebPack Software

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PBX84
 

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Tip
The PBX84 is customizable. The picture on the right shows one with two wire sockets and two headers. However, the normal kit comes with three sockets and a header. The header allows you to plug the board directly into a solderless breadboard! You can access power, ground, 16 I/O, and some global signals on the breadboard and use the wire sockets for more I/O.

Luckily, AWC has the answer to these problems. We have a low-cost PC board that allows you to easily work with several Xilinx PLDs. Another board allows you to program the PLD with your PC's printer port (you only need one programmer board). The board can accept breadboard wires, or you can use the board to connect your own prototypes by soldering wires in where the usual kit has sockets. Finally, you can get great design software free from the Xilinx Web site.

This tutorial will take you through a simple design with the Xilinx software and our PBX84 board. Of course, you could use any Xilinx development board, but you won't find one that is easier to use or less expensive than the PBX84.

For a simple example, I'll show you how to construct this half-adder design.

This simple circuit takes two bits, B0 and B1, and adds them producing a SUM and a CARRY output.

Before you start, you need to install the Xilinx Web Pack software on your PC. Since it can simulate your design, you don't need any hardware to see the results, although if you want to implement the actual hardware, you will need a Xilinx XC9500-series PLD, a PBX84, and the matching programmer.