Memec Introduces X-Fest 2005: Hands-On Technical Workshops Providing Practical Experience with Latest Xilinx Technology

Business Wire, March 7, 2005

SAN DIEGO -- Sixth Annual Series Offers "How-To" Tutorials and Labs Using Xilinx Tools; Workshops Available in Asia, Canada, Europe, Japan and U.S.

Memec, a leading global semiconductor distributor specializing in demand creation, today announced X-Fest 2005, a series of in-depth technical workshops providing designers with hands-on experience using the newest Xilinx tools. Available in Asia, Canada, Europe, Japan and the U.S., X-Fest consists of half-day courses from April through June 2005, which explore topics from embedded processing to DSP to basic FPGA design.

"X-Fest is the only workshop series to offer designers the hands-on experience necessary to truly explore the advanced features and functionality found in Xilinx technology," said Jim Beneke, director of technical marketing for Memec Insight, a division of Memec. "Providing dedicated technical workshops for each of Xilinx's newest tools and products, Memec's X-Fest 2005 benefits both hardware and software engineers. The low-cost courses and discounted boards make X-Fest a wise investment for designers seeking to develop customized differentiated products quickly and effectively."

"Memec's close partnership with Xilinx keeps Memec on the forefront of understanding the latest Xilinx technology. Memec's engineering teams are in lock-step with ours," said Babak Hedayati, senior director of Worldwide Product & Solutions Marketing at Xilinx. "Memec has translated its knowledge of Xilinx solutions into a worldwide workshop series of in-depth, hands-on labs and technical seminars. X-Fest 2005 is an ideal opportunity for our mutual customers to learn how to best leverage the advanced features of our Virtex(TM)-4 and Spartan(TM)-3E FPGAs, as well as the latest Xilinx development tools and ISE software."

Memec's X-Fest 2005 offers designers the following courses:

--Implementing Hardware Acceleration in Virtex-4 - This workshop demonstrates how a Floating Point Unit (FPU) core can be added to an example system through the APU interface. Through a combination of lecture and hands-on labs, attendees will lean about the APU interface, architect an FPU co-processor system using the latest features in Platform Studio, and verify the design on the Memec FX12 development board. Targeted for hardware and software engineers interested in hardware accelerators to implement functions for telecom, datacom, imaging and video applications.

--Designing With the Virtex-4 Tri-Mode EMAC - This hands-on workshop guides participants through connecting the MAC core to the on-chip PowerPC(TM) processor via the PLB vus. Using the new Platform Studio and Memec FX12 development board, an example system will be architected through Base System Builder, drivers will be added and a point-to-point application will be developed and debugged. Targeted for hardware and software engineers developing embedded Ethernet applications.

--Using Low-Cost Flash for Configuration and Data Storage - This workshop reviews several new configuration options and explores applications for both SPI and parallel Flash configurations. Multiple configurations, Flash programming, and accessing the memory after configuration are demonstrated through hands-on labs using the new Memec configuration development board and Xilinx ISE and Platform Studio tools. Targeted for FPGA designers interested in multiple configurations, data and code storage options, and reducing cost.

--Implementing the uC/OS-II RTOS on MicroBlaze - This workshop introduces the Micrium uC/OS-II real-time operating system features and explains the integration steps with the Xilinx Platform Studio software. Attendees will learn how to structure an application to make full use of the operating system elements, the basic RTOS interfaces common to all uC/OS-II applications, and how to install and use uC/OS-II in a Xilinx MicroBlaze processor environment. Debugging and optional features such as the addition of a TCP/IP stack are also covered. Targeted for embedded software developers seeking a cost-effective commercial solution for managing complex multi-threaded applications.

--Developing With Embedded Linux on the Virtex-4 FX - This class provides step-by-step instructions that fill in the gaps encountered by Linux novices or Linux experts lacking a background in embedded development. Attendees begin with components from the Memec Virtex-4(TM) FX development kit, the Xilinx Platform Studio and GNU Public Licensed software from the MonteVista Linux Preview Kit to create a Linux kernel for the embedded PowerPC processor. Attendees will also learn how to add new applications to the file system and how to incorporate the Universal Boot Loader (U-Boot) to create a self-contained system. Targeted for embedded software developers interested in using MonteVista Linux as the operating system of choice to manage their embedded applications.

--An Introduction to DSP in Xilinx FPGAs - This workshop will review the basic DSP building blocks and their implementation in the Xilinx Spartan-3(TM) and Virtex-4(TM) FPGA families: adder, subtractor, multiplier and MAC, with an introduction to the Virtex-4 DSP48 slice. These blocks will be used to implement widely used DSP operations including FIR filters and FFTs. A practical introduction to the Xilinx DSP design tool System Generator for DSP v7.1 and MATLAB(R)/Simulink(R) from the MathWorks is included. Hands-on labs will cover basic signal processing in Simulink / System Generator with an introduction to hardware co-simulation with the Memec Virtex-4 SX development board. Targeted for hardware designers new to DSP and DSP designers new to FPGA design.