Anyone use the ATMEL AT94KAL uC

[mojotron]

It looks like the ATMEL AT94KAL is a AT90 microcontroller with an FPGA added (with Gobbs of other things too).

I'm wondering if anyone here has used one?

It looks like you can extend the AT90's instruction set with your own algorithms in the FPGA.

This might be a route to doing a unique DSP implementation without having to use "canned" DSP algorithms in ready made DSP processors - albeit on the bleeding edge.

Sort of a uC+FPGA in one package... anyone gone down this path?

[Peter Snowberg]

I've seen them but I don't know Verilog or VHDL so they're beyond me.

They look fantastic for control loops where a little DSP could go a long way. Sadly, they're just too skinny for audio. Real high performance DSPs go for lower prices so the value of these chips is the ability to replace multiple chips in a traditional microcontroller/FPGA environment with reduced size, part count, and pin count.

[mojotron]

I've seen them but I don't know Verilog or VHDL so they're beyond me.

Hmm, good point. Verilog's not bad, but I did a lot with VHDL in school - that was a while ago.... as I remember VHDL was a quite non-intuitive, screwy Ada-like language - sort-of anti-Zen

They look fantastic for control loops where a little DSP could go a long way.

Ah yes, kind of like a really flexible filter, one that could also distort and perhaps do some phasing... maybe a TS5/808/9.. all in one box kind of idea.

Sadly, they're just too skinny for audio. Real high performance DSPs go for lower prices so the value of these chips is the ability to replace multiple chips in a traditional microcontroller/FPGA environment with reduced size, part count, and pin count.

Yep, they were $25-$30 - but could be an interesting toy.