ULX3S A powerful, open hardware ECP5 FPGA dev board

[prasimix]

ULX3S is a fully open source, compact, robust, and affordable FPGA dev board equipped with a balanced selection of additional components and expansions. Although it was designed primarily as a teaching tool for mastering the principles of digital circuit design, ULX3S incorporates a wide array of features and interfaces that allow it to serve as a broadly useful module for installation in complex devices.

Coming soon at https://www.crowdsupply.com/radiona/ulx3s

GitHub repo: https://github.com/emard/ulx3s

[prasimix]

Campaign is live.

[prasimix]

... and fully funded in first few hours! Congratulations Goran and Radiona team.

[goran.mahovlic]

Thank you prasimix for support!

We would never make it without your CS tips and tricks

[OwO]

Antenna: 27, 88-108, 144, 433 MHz FM/ASK onboard

Where's the antenna? I don't see it anywhere on the board and also don't see any single chip transceivers?

[OwO]

The 2 micro USB connectors appear to be surface mount only, and not only that, the mechanical pads are only connected to the ground plane by thin traces; that is going to rip from the board after 2 or 3 uses. I would recommend to at least merge the 4 mechanical pads into the ground plane if you can't switch to a through holed connector at this stage. Thermal relief should never be used on mechanical or RF ground pads.

[goran.mahovlic]

Antenna is just one wire that is in one wire

https://github.com/goran-mahovlic/ULX3S-slides/blob/master/slides/085anten.ppm

[goran.mahovlic]

Tnx on USB suggestions I will send that to author of the board!

We have around 500 boards out and did not noticed any problems!

300 students are already working on this board for a year, and none is broken until now.

[SiliconWizard]

The 2 micro USB connectors appear to be surface mount only, and not only that, the mechanical pads are only connected to the ground plane by thin traces; that is going to rip from the board after 2 or 3 uses. I would recommend to at least merge the 4 mechanical pads into the ground plane if you can't switch to a through holed connector at this stage. Thermal relief should never be used on mechanical or RF ground pads.

Agreed.

Apart from that, nice job.