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POWER MANAGEMENT
Solutions for Altera FPGAs

Power Design Tools

The Design Guide and its accompanying Power-Expert Software tool feature individual National Semiconductor device solutions and reference designs, guiding the customer easily through the process of selecting the most efficient or the most simple power solution for each Altera® FPGA or CPLD.

Download Power-Expert Software (exe 1.7MB) UPDATED (now supports Cyclone II)

Design Guide Brochure

The Design Guide offers solutions listed by part number for the Altera Stratix®, Stratix II®, Cyclone™ and MAX II® families. The parametric tables and typical block diagrams will help guide engineers toward a typical solution for their Altera designs. Solutions include devices from the National Semiconductor portfolio - voltage regulators, voltage supervisors, and voltage references.

Reference Designs

In addition to the reference design schematics included in the Design Guide and the Power-Expert design software, here is a library of power reference designs complete with bill of materials, schematics, and test results. (waveforms available for selected reference designs only)

  Max II Stratix
  Cyclone Stratix II



Recommended Parts for FPGAs

All of the National power products referenced in the Power Management Design Guide for Altera FPGAs & CPLDs and National Power-Expert design software are available in the following parametric listing:

In addition, you might find these resources helpful:
Altera  Power Applications Notes

Additional information on Power requirements can be found on www.altera.com.

Here's a summary of the most relevant power management application notes and power calculation tools they have developed:

App Notes
AN-358 Thermal Management for 90nm FPGAs

AN-355

Stratix II Device System Power Considferations

AN-107

Using Altera Devices in Multiple Voltage Systems
AN-74

Evaluating Power for Altera Devices
 

Power Calculators

Stratix II

Power Calculator Excel Spreadsheet

Max II

Power Calculator Excel Spreadsheet

Stratix

Power Calculator Excel Spreadsheet

Cyclone

Power Calculator Excel Spreadsheet
 

Synergistic Product Areas

National Semiconductor, a leader in analog solutions, offers a broad portfolio to complement Altera's Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs) designs.

 
On Line Tools

Solutions.National.com: A Revolution in Productivity for Analog Design

Design engineers can use the graphical navigation guide to access the more than 90 system solutions (automotive, broadband communications, displays, industrial, medical systems, personal/consumer electronics, power and wireless communications), get a list of recommended integrated circuits, perform thermal or electrical simulations online using National's WEBENCH design tools, and order product samples for worldwide delivery in only 24 to 48 hours.

WEBENCH® Online Design Tools  - Four easy steps and your design is complete:

  1. Choose a Part: Input your system specifications and you will find those devices that fit. 
  2. Create a Design: A design will be created for you including any necessary passive components and important calculated operating values. 
  3. Analyze a Design: Use a variety of simulation tests to validate your design.
  4. Build It!: Buy a part, kit of parts, evaluation board.
National Power Application Notes

This list compiles the most relevant power management application notes for FPGA designs from National Semiconductor. These are referenced in the Power Management Design Guide for Altera FPGAs and CPLDs and are all in pdf format.

Linear Regulators
AN-1148 Linear Regulators: Theory of operation and compensation
AN-1254 DDR-SDRAM Termination Simplified Using a Linear Regulator
 
Packaging Technology
AN-1028 Maximum power enhancement techniques for power packages
AN-1187

LLP® Package (Leadless Leadframe)
AN-1201 LLP-8 thermal performance and design guidelines
 
Switching Regulators and Controllers
AN-556 Introduction to power supplies
AN-558 Introduction to power MOSFET and their applications
AN-643 EMI/RFI board design
AN-1149 Layout guidelines for switching power supplies
AN-1197 Selecting inductors for buck converters
AN-1229 SIMPLE SWITCHER® PCB layout guidelines
AN-1246 Stresses in wide input DC/DC converters
 
Other
AN-1327 Simplified Programming of Altera FPGA’s using a SCANSTA111/112 Scan Chain Mux
AN-1200 Mixed Signal Testing Using the IEEE 1149.4 STA400
AN-1312 Scan Bridge (STA111/STA112) Timing