Icepi Zero is an elegant and compact FPGA development board with a Raspberry Pi Zero form factor. It features a powerful Lattice ECP5 FPGA, enabling advanced designs while keeping a small, portable size. It also has multiple USB Type-C ports, as well as a GPDI mini display-out, allowing easy digital video output. Its compact, familiar design is ready for integration into existing projects and enclosures, and it is a great way to get into FPGA gateware experimentation.
The ECP5 is an FPGA capable of emulating many systems, from the Apple I, Oberon, Sega Master System, and the Commodore 64. You can use it to make cycle-accurate replicas of your favorite systems, or even create your own systems.
The Icepi Zero also works out of the box with the latest open source FPGA development tools. Plug it into your computer and design anywhere.
Since Icepi uses the Raspberry Pi Zero form factor, you can take or install your favorite retro computing platform anywhere. It’s so light you might forget it’s there, and its plentiful ports make it simple to use, even without carrying a bunch of adapters and dongles.
Additionally, Icepi is the perfect FPGA device for students and hobbyists. It is small with no external hardware needed for programming, paired with it’s diverse peripherals and relatively cheap price makes it the perfect device for classrooms. Furthermore, it is fully supported by Icestudio (currently hosted in this fork), making it easy to use for beginners and a great way to get introduced into FPGA designing.
Since the Icepi Zero has the same pinout and footprint as a Raspberry Pi Zero, it can not only serve as a standalone FPGA development board but also as a co-processor HAT for a Pi Zero. It can help the Pi Zero perform parallel computation tasks like machine learning acceleration or video processing. Its Pi-style GPIO header opens up a world of accessories that can be addressed directly by the Icepi’s FPGA.
| Icepi Zero | ULX3S | Orangecrab | Lattice ECP5 Evaluation Board | Lattice ECP5 Versa | Icebreaker | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open Source | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Physical Dimensions | 65 x 30 mm | 94 × 51 mm | 23 x 51 mm | 180 × 100 mm | 165 × 110 mm | 73 x 37 mm |
| Common Form Factor | Pi Zero Form | None | None | None | Half-length PCIe | None |
| FPGA | ECP5 | ECP5 | ECP5 | ECP5 | ECP5 | iCE40UP5K |
| Direct USB to FPGA | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| LUT Capacity | 24k | 12k - 84k | 24 - 84k | 84k | 44k | 5280 |
| Internal RAM (Kbits) | 1008 | 576 - 3744 | 1008 - 3744 | 3744 | 1944 | 1024 |
| Peripherals | ||||||
| Audio Out | Digital GPDI | Digital S/PDIF, GPDI, Analog | None | None | None | None |
| Video Out | Digital GPDI | Digital GPDI, Composite | None | None | None | None |
| Onboard RAM | 32 MB SDRAM | 32 MB SDRAM | 128 MB DDR3 | None | 1024 MB DDR3 | None |
| Onboard Clock | 50 MHz MEMS | 25 MHz | 48 MHz | 12, 50, 200 MHz | 100 MHz | 12 MHz MEMS |
| Flash | 128 Mbit | 32-128 Mbit | 128 Mbit | 128 Mbit | 128 Mbit | 128 Mbit |
| User IOs | 28 | 56 | 20 | 178 | Up to 29 | 27 + 7 |
| User Buttons | 2 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 + 3 |
| User LEDs | 5 | 8 | 1 | 8 | 8 | 2 + 5 |
| DIP Switches | 0 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 |
| USB Ports | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Storage | Micro-SD | Micro-SD | Micro-SD | None | None | None |
| Power Input | USB 5 V | USB 5 V | USB 5 V | 12 V | 12 V | USB 5 V |
Icepi Zero is a fully open-source project. All the design files, example programs, and everything related to the project are available on the following Github repository: https://github.com/cheyao/icepi-zero under the liberal Zlib and Solderpad Licenses. It is already Open Source Hardware Association certified under registry number FR000026.
For any support requests, you can create issues on our GitHub repositories. For any other requests, you can Ask a Technical question through the form link on this page.
Documentation also exists in the firmware folder on our GitHub.
Produced by Icy Electronics in Cannes, France.
Sold and shipped by Crowd Supply.
One fully assembled Icepi Zero (cables, SD cards, or other accessories not included)
Classic NES games on open source hardware that fits in the palm of your hand
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An MCU + eFPGA dev kit with 100% vendor-supported open source tools that fits inside your USB port
