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Altera Partner Profile: Microtronix

Microtronix logo

Overview

Established in 1988, Microtronix provides a complete range of services from engineering design to manufacturing. Microtronix specializes in the rapid development of hardware and software solutions for Altera's Nios® II embedded processor.

Having ported the µClinux kernel distribution to the Nios processor architecture in 2001, Microtronix continues to support the second-generation Nios II processor. This software competence is complemented with a line of engineering design kits and intellectual property (IP) cores that augment Altera® FPGAs.

Microtronix's Nios II design kits and IP cores support the following capabilities and applications: Ethernet, USB, wireless, processor bridge interfaces (Avalon® system interconnect fabric), SDR/DDR/DDR2/QDR memories, video, DVI, PCI, and I2C master/slave/PIO IP solutions.

Available Products

Microtronix currently provides the products listed in Tables 1 through 4.

Table 1. Available AMPP-Approved Certified IP Cores (1)
Product Description Supported Devices
Avalon Multi-Port SDRAM Memory Controller IP Core Designed for building high-performance, multi-master streaming data systems. The easy-to-use six port Avalon SDRAM controller IP core simplifies memory designs by supporting SDR, DDR, DDR2, and mobile DDR memory devices using a single system bus interface. Stratix® IICyclone® II,
Streaming Multi-Port SDRAM Memory Controller IP Core Ten port (non-Avalon) 300-MHz SDRAM controller for SDR, DDR, DDR2, and mobile DDR memory devices. Stratix IICyclone II, Cyclone III
HyperDrive Multi-Port DDR2 Memory Controller IP Core Six port (non-Avalon) 400-MHz SDRAM controller for DDR2 memory devices. Stratix II, Cyclone II, Cyclone III
Video LVDS SERDES Transmitter/Receiver IP Core Easy-to-use serializer/deserializer (SERDES) solution to interface video host systems and flat panel displays. Cyclone II, Cyclone III
I2C Master/Slave/PIO Controller Complete I2C solution offering three modes of operation: I2C master controller, I2C slave controller, and an 8-bit PIO slave device. Stratix IICyclone II, Cyclone IIIMAX® II

Table 2. Video Imaging Development Board Solutions
Product Description Supported Devices
ViClaro II HD Video Enhancement Development Platform This board is an excellent platform for quickly creating, testing, and deploying new picture enhancement algorithms. The HDMI transmitter and receiver support the de-facto standard high-definition (HD) TV digital interface. The dual LVDS links are 1080p bandwidth-capable and support 50/60-Hz HDTV display systems. When combined with IP, the board can be used to convert or enhance video quality. Applications include motion judder removal, 720p–1080p scaling, frame rate conversion, motion-adaptive filtering, or color enhancements.  Cyclone II
ViClaro III HD Video Enhancement Development Platform A video enhancement development platform supporting 100/120-Hz HDTV that is 1080p (2) bandwidth-capable and features 32-bit DDR2 SDRAM memory, an HDMI (3) transmitter, an analog/HDMI receiver, and dual LVDS (4) links. Cyclone III
Lancelot VGA Controller IP Design Kit Microtronix is proud to offer the innovative Lancelot VGA IP Design Kit solutions for customers wanting to develop video IP-based solutions. The Lancelot Kit comes complete with an IP core written in VHDL that can be synthesized for all Altera FPGAs.

The kit comes with a small hardware board that includes a 24-bit RAMDAC, VGA connector, stereo audio connector, and two PS/2 connectors. The daughterboard connects using Santa Cruz expansion headers. The kit displays an image up to 1024 x 768 pixels and 24-bit color.

This add-on board is compatible with the Microtronix Product Starter Kit and the Altera Nios II development kits.


Table 3. Configurable Processor Module Solutions

Product Connector Form Factor
Cyclone II EP2C35 - Firefly II Module Custom (Microtronix)
Cyclone II EP2C35 - Firefly II PSK Dev Kit Custom (Microtronix)
Cyclone II EP2C50 - Firefly II Module Custom (Microtronix)
Cyclone II EP2C50 - Firefly II PSK Dev Kit Custom (Microtronix)
Firefly II PSK Baseboard Custom (Microtronix)

Table 4. Design Kit Solutions
Product Connector Form Factor
I2C Expansion Board Altera daughterboard
Ethernet - USB Design Kit Altera daughterboard
Compact Flash Preloaded with µClinux Altera daughterboard
Compact Flash Type II Board Altera daughterboard

Notes to Tables 1 through 4:

  1. AMPP: Altera Megafunction Partners ProgramSM. "AMPP Approved" indicates certified IP cores that meet Altera's sales standards and have passed rigorous engineering testing.
  2. 1080p: 1080 vertical pixels by 1920 horizontal pixels HD television format
  3. HDMI: high-definition multimedia interface
  4. LVDS: Low Voltage Differential Signaling 

Additional Services and Features

Microtronix provides the following additional services and features:

  • Nios system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) design
  • Board-level prototype design and manufacturing services
  • Nios II system on a chip (SoC) core design and customization
  • IP core design and integration
  • Altera OpenCore and OpenCore Plus evaluation
  • Software device driver and application development
  • µClinux consulting and design services
  • Hardware design consulting
  • Technical support

Contact Information

For additional information, contact Microtronix at:

Microtronix Datacom, Ltd.
9-1510 Woodcock Street
London, ON Canada
N6H 5S1
Tel: 01 (519) 690-0091
Fax: 01 (519) 690-0092
Email: sales@microtronix.com
URL: www.microtronix.com

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