Electronic Design Automation: November 9, 1995

Three synthesizable cores for portable PCs and peripherals. The M82365SL is a synthesizable building block that emulates the discrete device to provide host side support for the PCMCIA interface from an ISA bus. The model provides full software compatibility with discrete devices. The core requires approximately 17,000 gates and costs $32,500. The MPCMCIA1 is a general-purpose interface block providing support for the card information structure memory and standard PCMCIA configuration registers plus interfacing to EEPROM. The core has a complexity of approximately 2500 gates and costs $12,500. The M1284 is a synthesizable interface block providing all the features of the IEEE standard 1284 protocols. It includes a 16-byte FIFO and supports Compatible, Nibble, Byte, and EPP modes. The core has a complexity of 4000 gates and costs $32,500. 3Soft Corporation, San Jose, CA. (408) 467-0410.

VHDL fault simulator uses Vital models. The VerdictFault mixed-level VHDL fault simulator determines the fault coverage of a circuit described as a VHDL initiative toward ASIC libraries (Vital) netlist with an accompanying behavioral-VHDL test bench. By using Vital instead of proprietary-language models, the fault simulator lets you complete sign-off simulation without leaving the VHDL design environment. Prices for the fault simulator start at $35,000. VEDA Design Automation, Fareham, Hants, UK. (44) 1329 822240.

Design tools speed custom-IC design. The Virtuoso FastChip Design Solutions are a series of three IC-design methodologies and modular-layout accelerators. According to the company, the tools can speed custom-IC design as much as 20× over traditional manual-design approaches. The series includes the Virtuoso device-level router ($40,000), a new version of the device-level editor ($12,000), the timing-driven option of Virtuoso layout synthesis ($20,000), and the three-layer option of Virtuoso layout synthesis ($18,000). Cadence Design Systems Inc, San Jose, CA. (408) 943-1234.

Tool lets you design, simulate, and verify control-system design. The SystemBridge control-system design and simulation tool links directly with Mentor Graphics’ electronic-design-automation environment. You can use VHDL models running on the QuickHDL simulator and connect them directly to the control-system simulator. The tool has an automated-code generator for implementing control-system design. Prices for the tool start at $5000. Integrated Systems Inc, Santa Clara, CA. (408) 980-1500.

Nonlinear and statistical-analysis tool for radio-communications systems. Rf Intercept provides four ways to analyze communication systems and components: It determines channel allocation for minimum intermodulation distortion interference; it reduces a chain of devices to an equivalent single device described by its gain, equivalent noise figure, and second- and third-order intercept points; it lets you obtain statistical distributions of overall system gain, output level, noise figure, intercept point, and S/N ratios; and it simulates the response of nonlinear devices to arbitrary inputs. The tool runs on Macintosh systems and on PCs under Windows. Prices range from $390 to $995. RHR Laboratories, Richmond Hill, ON, Canada. (905) 884-2392.

Test-bench development tool reduces development time for VHDL designs. The TestBench Manager, an option to the VHDL System Simulator, provides a methodology for creating regression test benches. The software reduces test-bench development time by automatically generating block-level test benches from system-level test benches. The option will be available in the first quarter of 1996 for $8500. Synopsys Inc, Mountain View, CA. (415) 962-5000.

Updated version of schematic-capture and pc-board-design tool. P-CAD Master Designer Version 8.5 provides >20 enhancements covering net attributes, object query, reference layers, Winplot, archive files, and dimensions. The company will distribute the full manual set on CD-ROM. Prices start at $10,700 for Unix systems and $6500 for DOS systems. Users on current maintenance receive a free upgrade. Accel Technologies Inc, San Diego, CA. (619) 554-1000.

Software support for XC5200 programmable logic. Active-XLX provides support for the new XC5200 SRAM-based programmable-logic devices and all other Xilinx field-programmable gate-array and erasable-PLD devices. The Windows-based schematic editor and simulator interface directly with Xilinx’s Xact tool. The tool costs $1995. Aldec Inc, Newbury Park, CA. (800) 487-8743.