* Question
Which Signals on the Spartan-3E FPGA Experiment Board Are Directly Driven Through Resistors?
* Answer
On the Spartan-3E FPGA Experiment Board (commonly based on Xilinx Spartan-3E devices), several output signals are directly driven by FPGA I/O pins through series or current-limiting resistors.
These resistors are used to limit current, protect FPGA I/O pins, and ensure reliable visual or electrical operation.
The signals most commonly driven through resistors are described below.
1. User LEDs
Primary Resistor-Driven Signals
The on-board user LEDs are the most typical signals driven through resistors.
- Each LED is connected to an FPGA GPIO pin
- A series current-limiting resistor(typically 220 Ω–470 Ω) is placed between the FPGA pin and the LED
Purpose
- Prevents excessive current from damaging the FPGA I/O
- Ensures consistent LED brightness
- Allows direct FPGA control without external components
These LEDs are widely used for:
- Logic verification
- Debug output
- Status indication
2. Seven-Segment Display Segments
Many Spartan-3E experiment boards include one or more seven-segment LED displays.
Resistor Usage
- Each segment (a–g, and sometimes the decimal point) is driven by an FPGA pin
- Individual resistorsare used for each segment line
Why Resistors Are Required
- LED segments are current-driven devices
- Direct connection without resistors could exceed FPGA I/O current limits
This allows the FPGA to directly control numeric or hexadecimal display output.
3. Discrete Indicator LEDs (Status or Power Indicators)
Some boards include additional status LEDs (e.g., configuration done, user-defined indicators).
- These LEDs are also FPGA-controlled
- Each is connected via a current-limiting resistor
4. Why Only These Signals Are Driven Through Resistors
Not all FPGA signals require resistors.
Resistor-Driven Signals
- LEDs
- Seven-segment displays
- Other current-sensitive visual indicators
Non-Resistor Signals
- Push buttons (use pull-up or pull-down resistors instead)
- Slide switches
- External connectors (VGA, SRAM, Flash, PMODs)
These typically rely on logic-level signaling, not current-driven loads.
Engineering Insight
FPGA I/O pins are designed for logic signaling, not for driving loads directly.
By placing resistors in series with LEDs and display segments, the Spartan-3E board:
- Protects FPGA output drivers
- Ensures long-term reliability
- Simplifies beginner and educational experiments
This design practice is standard across FPGA development boards from Xilinx, Intel (Altera), and Lattice.
Conclusion
On the Spartan-3E FPGA experiment board, the signals directly driven through resistors are primarily:
- User LEDs
- Seven-segment display segments
- Other FPGA-controlled indicator LEDs
The resistors serve as current-limiting and protection components, allowing safe and direct FPGA control of visual output devices.
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