FPGA implementation of VXIbus interface hardware

The HP E1399A development card is a B-size, register based device that can be used to simplify the development of simple, custom VXIbus instruments. The E1399A provides interface logic that buffers a 16-bit bidirectional data bus and performs other functions required by the VXIbus standard. However, the amount of interface logic required is high enough to substantially reduce the breadboard area that is available to the user. This paper reports on evaluation of field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology to the implementation of the VXIbus interface circuitry. Using FPGAs (Xilinx), all the logic of the E1399A can be fit into at most two low cost gate array packages with an attendant savings in board space. This results in a reliable design that provides the interface between the VXIbus and the user's custom circuitry.