NewLogic Turns Xilinx FPGAs Blue

By Michael Foley
iApplianceWeb
(06/19/01, 08:11:20 PM EDT)

NewLogic has made available its BOOST Lite Bluetooth baseband processor core for use in Xilinx Virtex-II and Virtex-E FPGA families. The core provides Bluetooth baseband functionality for customizable integration into the programmable devices. The core targets Bluetooth enabled personal, home, and business mobile devices and appliances.

NewLogic's BOOST Lite core performs all baseband functions and is qualified by the Bluetooth Qualification Board (BQB). It is compliant with the latest v1.1 Bluetooth specification and performs the functions of data serialization, cyclic redundancy checking, encryption, and forward error correction. The core has selectable operating frequency modes (12, 13, or 16 MHz) and low power modes (sniff, hold, and park). All Bluetooth packet types as well as TDMA/TDD frames are supported, and the core also processes voice traffic by means of an optional Continuous Variable Slope Delta Modulation (CVSD) encoder and PCM interface.

A BOOST Lite development board for Xilinx Virtex-II and Virtex-E FPGAs is available for Bluetooth system development purposes. The baseband processor residing in the Virtex-II FPGA interfaces to an external SiliconWave radio module and ARM processor. The core also comes with an optional software stack that includes the Link Control (L2CAP), Link Manager (LMP), and HCI layers of the Bluetooth protocol stack. More information on Bluetooth and its applications is available on the Xilinx eSP (emerging standards and protocols) Web portal at www.xilinx.com/esp.

The BOOST Lite baseband processor core is available for immediate use in the Xilinx family of FPGAs. The core is available directly from NewLogic Technologies with an encrypted netlist version for a single project starting at $25,000. Synthesizable netlist and RTL source code versions, as well as a full Bluetooth protocol software stack, can also be licensed. Virtex-II and Virtex-E FPGA development boards and training courses are available separately. The data sheet for the core can be downloaded from the Xilinx IP Center (www.xilinx.com/ipcenter), a comprehensive resource for system-level intellectual property and services.