An Interview with Luke Valenty
Luke Valenty of TinyFPGA.com explains how open source toolchains like Ice Studio and APIO lower the barrier to entry for FPGAs, enabling makers to build custom microcontrollers and high-speed interfaces without proprietary software. He details the design of the Tiny FPGA BX board, which integrates a USB device directly into the FPGA fabric to eliminate expensive external chips, and discusses the challenges of manufacturing small QFN and BGA packages. Valenty also outlines his roadmap for the upcoming EX board, which will utilize Lattice ECP5 high-speed transceivers to support USB-3 and PCIe, aiming for a crowdfunding campaign in the fall.