Digilent’s Eclypse Z7 development board is based on the Xilinx Zynq-7020 SoC, which features a 667 MHz dual-core Cortex-A9 processor and an FPGA with 13,300 logic slices and 220 DSP slices. This board enables rapid prototyping of high-speed instrumentation, control, and measurement systems in edge-computing, medical, and communications applications. This board can be powered from an external 12 V, 5 A supply and also features a platform MCU for configuration of adjustable power supplies and temperature management.
The Zynq-7020 at the heart of Eclypse Z7 offers 1 Gbit ethernet, USB 2.0, and SDIO high-bandwidth peripheral controls, as well as standard interfaces, a DDR3L memory controller with 8 DMA channels, and 4 high-performance AXI3 slave ports. It is programmable via JTAG, quad-SPI Flash, and microSD card, and has equivalent logic to Xilinx’s Artix-7 FPGA.
Another key feature of the Eclypse Z7 is Digilent’s Zmod expansion ports, which use the open-source SYZYGY standard from Opal Kelly. Zmod is faster than Pmod and more cost-effective and compact than FMC – two 12-pin Pmod ports, supporting a total of 16 FPGA-connected I/Os, are provided to support modules a user may already have. The two Zmod ports enable users to quickly integrate custom hardware options with the high-speed I/Os of the board (8 differential or 16 single-ended I/Os per port), and Digilent produces a few different modules for immediate use with Eclypse. These are detailed below.
Zmod Scope Module
Digilent’s Zmod Scope is a 2-channel oscilloscope module available with 10-, 12-, or 14-bit resolution. It allows for simultaneous acquisition of two single-ended ±1 V or ±25 V signals at up to 125 Msps via SMA input, depending on the model. The input impedance of the device is 1 MΩ, 18 pF, and the inputs are protected for up to ±50 V, with an absolute resolution of 0.13 mV or 3.21 mV for the high-gain and low-gain modes respectively.
Zmod Scope enables immediate measurement when coupled to the Eclypse Z7 board, allowing engineers to focus on analytical and system-level aspects of their design rather than component-level interactions.
Zmod AWG Module
Digilent’s Zmod AWG is a 2-channel, 14-bit arbitrary waveform generator module that can simultaneously generate two single-ended ±5 V signals at up to 100 Msps, with output via SMA port (50 Ω). The absolute resolution of these signals is 167 μV for amplitudes ≤1.25 V, and 665 μV for amplitudes >1.25V, with a slew rate of 180 V/μs (2 V step). The Zmod AWG offers the same immediate use as the Zmod Scope when connected to the Eclypse Z7 board.
Zmod Digitizer Module
Digilent’s Zmod Digitizer is a 2-channel, 14-bit ADC for ±1 V single-ended input via SMA connector (1 M Ω, 5 pF). The absolute resolution of the device is 0.13 mV at 125 Msps, and these inputs are protected at up to ±50 V. A 60 MHz low-pass filter is included on the inputs, and this module is designed for DC signal coupling only.
The Eclyspe Z7 Development Kit includes the development board, an FPGA fan, 2x USB cables, a 12 V, 5 A power supply, eight 5 mm standoffs, and your choice of one or two Zmod Scope and/or Zmod AWG boards to suit your application requirement. The Zmod Digitizer is a new product and is not detailed as part of the standard kit at the time of writing.
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