The FPGA module which comes with a Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA and a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface can sustain 360Mbit/s of data transfer in either direction.
The module which measures 40 x 50mm has 105 user I/O pins, high level of integration and low external component requirements. It is said to be suited to integration in embedded systems and OEM equipment.
The Artix-7 FPGA is coupled with 512Mbit of 1.6Gbit/s DDR3 memory. The FPGA can be programmed from the 8Mbit of on-board flash, USB or JTAG. It can be used as a programmable interface to external devices, for high speed processing of streaming data, and for data acquisition and control.
The ZestSC3 uses the Cypress FX3 USB controller chip and comes pre-loaded with optimised firmware to act as a communications bridge between the FPGA and host computer.The FX3 is claimed to provide a high speed streaming interface.
The module can be used as a stand-alone board powered over USB, and can program the user FPGA and flash over USB without requiring additional programming cables or hardware. Flash can also be used for user data storage. The ZestSC3 requires a 3.3 to 5V power supply.
