Xilinx is a leading manufacturer of a wide range of Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), including Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Complex Programmable Gate Arrays (CPLDs). The Xilinx XC2C64 was one of the CPLDs under the company’s CoolRunner-II series, before its discontinuation.
Although Xilinx wasn’t so forthcoming on the reason for the continuation, it did hint that it did so for the continued productivity of the device.
In its PDF publication, the company mentioned that both the Xilinx XC2C64 and the Xilinx XC2C32 macrocell CPLDs have been discontinued. They would then be replaced with the Xilinx XC2C64A and the XC232A, respectively.
The Need for Enhanced Design
Perhaps, Xilinx discovered that the Xilinx XC2C64 and the other (XC232) were performing below par. As such, the company deemed it right to replace them with newer, enhanced parts. To that end, the company came up with the idea of adding the suffix, “A” to the previous CPLDs.
That is why the new and enhanced design of the Xilinx XC2C64 bears Xilinx XC2C64A. But it is not just about adding the alphabet to the device. Xilinx did mention that the improved design of the Xilinx XC2C64 comes with some awesome features, including:
Pin-for-Pin Replacements
One of the major changes made with the improved Xilinx XC2C64A design is the replacement of the pin-to-pin. This also extended to the replacements of the associated part numbers. For example, the former (discontinued Xilinx XC2C64 part number) XC2C64-7VQG44I is now known as XC2C64A-7VQG44I.
Cross-CPLD Changes
The improved design and changes made to the (discontinued) Xilinx XC2C64 are not limited to the pin-for-pin replacements. They also extended to the temperature, speed and package variations of the CPLD.
Output Drive Performance
The output drive performance of the Xilinx XC2C64 was also improved with its new variant, the Xilinx XC2C64A.
The improvement led to the faster output speed and transitions for the duo of the LVCMOS33 and the LVCMOS25.
Additional I/O Bank
The improvement of the Xilinx XC2C64 to the Xilinx XC2C64A also came with an additional Input and Output (I/O) bank. The bank provides for the level-based translation ability between the (discontinued) Xilinx XC2C64 and the Xilinx XC2C64A.
Technical Attributes of the Xilinx XC2C64A CPLD
Now that we know the Xilinx XC2C64A is the new design of the Xilinx XC2C64, let us look at its technical specifications or attributes.
| Technical Specifications | Description |
| Pin-to-pin logic delay in nanoseconds (ns) | 4.6 ns |
| System/logic gates | 1,500 |
| Number of Macrocells | 32 |
| Input and Output (I/O) pins (maximum) | 64 |
Xilinx XC2C64’s Features
Now, let us talk about some of the new and improved features that come with the Xilinx XC2C64A Complex Programmable Logic Device (CPLD).
1. Flexible Input and Output Models
The Xilinx XC2C64A CPLD uses a push button for the input and LEDs for the output.
2. Voltage Supply
The Xilinx XC2C64A CPLD uses the onboard 3.3-volt supply for the I/O pins and the onboard 1.8-volt supply for the core.
3. Easy Programming
Whether you are looking to program the Xilinx XC2C64A CPLD or reprogram the same, it can be done with ease.
The device uses the duo of Bus Blaster and Bus Pirate for easy configuration.
Summing Up
With the Xilinx XC2C64A, you can be confident of getting much more features and benefits out of a CPLD than you could have done with the discontinued Xilinx XC2C64 CPLD.
