Re: [Discuss-gnuradio] 100/1000 PHYs

[zarquon]

On Tue, Nov 23, 2004 at 07:19:21PM -0600, David Carr wrote:
> Your luck seems similar to mine thus far. 
> 
> >National DP83865: PQFP 128 pins
> >Intel PHYs: BGA
> >Broadcom: No Docs
> >Marvell: No Docs
> >RocketPHY (Overkill, 10 Gbit): BGA
> >VITESSE: No Docs, appear BGA

Update on Broadcom: BCM-5411,5421,5461 are available in leaded packages. 
As to doc availability.. I think it's still nada. A lot can be derived from
the linux drivers.. but it'd be a fair amount of work.

Marvell docs are available behind their 'extranet'.. and I think they require
NDA.
https://www.marvell.com/login/sign_up.do

> I think that the PCI bridge option deserves a look however it has a 
> quite a few problems.  I think that its too expensive in terms of logic 
> to do PCI on the FPGA.  You need something like a PLX PCI 9054.  Now 

OpenCores PCI bridge is 1300 slices on a Spartan II.

> unfourtunately we have to initialize the card and do PCI data transfers 
> and have some sort of "driver."  It is neat though, to be able to plug 
> in a standard ethernet card...

Problem being you'll essentially have to write the initialization routines
for _each card_ into the FPGA.. and IIRC, there isn't a defacto least-common
denominator like NE2000.

> Here something else interesting, no word on the price yet.
> http://www.devboards.de/index.php?kategorie=12
> 
> Where is the cheapest place to get a small run (2) of 4 layer PCBs?  I 
> might start working on a daugthercard of my own.

I normally try to stay with dual layer boards.. hmm.

PCBExpress is $128 for 2 9 square inch boards.
PCB123 is $87 for 2 3x5 boards.
PCBfabexpress is $165 for 5 boards up to 20 square inches. Includes 
silk/soldermask.

A friend is fond of AP Circuits, but they are rather expensive for small 
quantities.
(they're in canada, so faster delivery).
4PCB is based in the US; they have quicker turn-around for those of us in the 
US,
but are also rather expensive.

(I'm not endorsing any of these.. just quotes.)

R C