SYNAPTICADcolon NEWS

Product Major Product Release December 1, 2002

PinPort links Hardware to HDL Simulations

BLACKSBURG, VA, December 1, 2002 - SynaptiCAD Sales Inc., the design technology leader for graphical model generation, today announced the release of PinPort, an interface between digital hardware and a Verilog or C++ simulation environment. PinPort lets you perform simulations using a combination of hardware components and HDL models. PinPort can be used to test a new hardware prototype, or can be used to test a new simulation model against existing target hardware. In either test mode, design verification schedules can be shortened since designers do not need to develop models for silicon they are not designing and simulation test benches can be reused during hardware testing.

 

Reuse Reactive Test Benches

PinPort enables hardware to be tested using the same reactive Verilog and C++ test benches created during the simulation design phase. This drastically reduces the amount of time spent writing hardware tests. Also, because these tests are reactive, they are written much more compactly than typical hardware tests which are generally non-reactive "one-path" tests that don't handle variations in predicted results from the hardware. Without reactivity, traditional hardware tests must often repeat vector patterns, making slight changes in the tests each time to change the nature of the test. This type of code is much harder to maintain as test requirements change.

Simple to Use

PinPort is easy to set up and use; no lengthy training is required. PinPort connects to the simulation platform via a standard SCSI connection. The hardware prototype or target is mounted on an adapter board, which plugs into the PinPort device. The simulator can access PinPort's pins by calling the supplied PLI routines or C++ functions. The simulator starts the simulation and loads data into the PinPort device, and throughout the simulation data flows back and forth between the hardware and the simulation.

Flexible and Expandable

A single PinPort can support multiple hardware devices. Each of PinPort's pins can be configured as an input, output, or bi-direct. In addition, any pin can be strobed by one of two programmable strobes. Each strobe function comprises 3 distinct areas of time. Several functional operations can be done on each pin. The function and timing are programmable as well. PinPort is also expandable because multiple PinPort devices can be used in one simulation.

Product Descriptions

PinPort is available in a 64 pin and a 192 pin size. All major C++ compilers and Verilog simulators are supported including SynaptiCAD's VeriLogger Pro. The interface is cycle based with a clock granularity of 20ns. PinPort starts at $8500 and supports Windows and Solaris.

Contact Information

For more information contact SynaptiCAD at phone (540)953-3390, fax(540)953-3078, email: Sales Office, web site: www.syncad.com. Note: Please contact Donna Mitchell at (540) 953-3390 for questions concerning this press release.