Echelon FTXL Hardware - Manual (Page 13)

FTXL Hardware Guide 5
• External memory (such as external RAM) for the FTXL application
program
• Non-volatile memory (such as flash memory) for network configuration
data
• Associated user I/O, such as a service pin and LED, reset button and
LED, and other I/O for the device
• A power supply
A more robust or complex design includes additional hardware components, such
as additional user I/O, support for a USB or other network interface, signal
processors, or other coprocessors.
Because an FTXL device is a communications device, its design must include
considerations for electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), including electrostatic
discharge (ESD), radio frequency (RF) immunity, and resistance to
electromagnetic interference (EMI).
See the FT 3120 / FT 3150 Smart Transceiver Data Book for overall design
considerations for an FT Smart Transceiver, including the FTXL Transceiver.
FPGA Design
A minimal FPGA design for an FTXL device includes the following elements:
• An Altera Nios II processor
• One or more phase-locked loop (PLL) components
• Definitions for the FTXL parallel communications interface (see
The
Parallel Communications Interface on page 21)
• A definition for the FTXL Transceiver reset signal
• A definition for the FTXL Transceiver interrupt signal
• A definition for the FTXL service pin
• A definition for the FTXL service LED
• Definitions for user I/O
• An interface for both on-chip and external memory
Because an FPGA device can include multiple processors and many intellectual
property (IP) cores, a more robust or complex design can include any number of
additional design elements. These additional design elements, in turn, help
determine the specific type of FPGA device that your FTXL device requires.
Chapter 4,
FPGA Design for the FTXL Transceiver , on page 37, describes
requirements for the FPGA design for an FTXL device.
Software Design
Software design for an FTXL device requires a host application program that
runs on the Nios II processor and uses the FTXL LonTalk protocol stack to
manage the FTXL Transceiver for communications with a L
ON W ORKS network.
The LonTalk application programming interface (API) provides essential
functions for managing an FTXL Transceiver. This API shares many features