IcyBlue Feather V2 board features Lattice Semi iCE5LP4K FPGA in Adafruit Feather form factor

The IcyBlue Feather V2 from Oak Development Technologies is a powerful and compact dev board that combines the Lattice Semi iCE5LP4K FPGA with the Adafruit Feather form factor. This unique combination allows this FPGA board to be compatible with the Adafruit FeatherWings ecosystem, providing functionalities such as additional GPIOs, displays, connectivity modules, and more.

This new board features a USB-C port for powering and programming the FPGA. Additionally, it features two hardware I2C and SPI blocks that do not consume FPGA resources while operating. The board also includes 22 accessible GPIOs, a bright RGB LED for status indication, and two user-programmable LEDs.

Previously, we have discussed many similar tiny FPGA-based development boards, such as the Lattice Semi MachXO2 FPGA, tinyVision.ai Pico-Ice board, Silicon Witchery S1, and ULX3S Education Board. Feel free to explore these if you are looking for similar options.

IcyBlue Feather V2 Specification

• FPGA – Lattice Semi iCE40 Famaly iCE5LP4K FPGA
  • Logic Cells – Approximately 3520 logic cells
  • Memory
    • 80 Kbits of embedded Block RAM (EBR)
    • Distributed RAM: 640 bits
  • Integrates two hardware I2C and SPI blocks for enhanced functionality
• Supported I/O Standards – LVCMOS, LVTTL, LVDS, SubLVDS, SLVS, Schmitt trigger inputs
• USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power, and uses FTDI FT232HQ USB FIFO bridge for programming
• Communication Blocks
  • 2x I2C hard blocks
  • 2x SPI hard blocks
• Indicators
  • RGB LED for status indication
  • 2x user-programmable LEDs
• Clock Management
  • One Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) for advanced clock management
  • Multiple on-chip oscillators for standalone operation
• Expansion
  • 22x accessible GPIOs through standard Feather board headers
  • Seamless integration with Adafruit FeatherWings for added modules and sensors
• Form Factor – Adafruit Feather form factor, optimizing portability with potential for battery-powered applications

The IcyBlue Feather V2 is fully compatible with both open-source tools like IceStorm and proprietary software from Lattice Semiconductor, such as the Diamond Programmer.

Released last year, the original or first generation of the IcyBlue featured micro USB ports, and according to the company, there were some issues with that board. However, the company’s post did not specify what those issues were. However, with the introduction of  V2, the company claims that all previous issues have been resolved, and the board now includes a USB-C port.

You can purchase the updated board from Oak Development Technologies at the Tindie store for $74.95. The company also provides design files and additional resources which you can find on the relevant GitHub repository with an MIT license covering both hardware and software.

Via Hackster.io

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