Xillybus USB 3.0?

Questions and discussions about the Xillybus IP core and drivers

Xillybus USB 3.0?

Postby Guest »

Wondering if there were any updates on Xillybus USB? The webpage says 2019, wondering if it's soon! :)
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Re: Xillybus USB 3.0?

Postby support »

Hello,

Xillybus for USB 3.0 is in progress, but not with a very high priority. Unfortunately, "soon" is not the word I would use to describe its expected initial release. It depends on other work loads, but I would expect it to be in the later part of this year.

May I ask what you intend to use it for? Which FPGA? Why USB and not PCIe?

Regards,
Eli
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Re: Xillybus USB 3.0?

Postby mwayne »

Sorry, I didn't log in to my account before.

In the past I've made several FPGA-based projects which generally require high data throughput using Xillybus PCIe.
It works great, but turning off the PC and removing the FPGA card every time I want to use it for something else is kind of a hassle. I'd really just like something a little more portable.
Also, it does seem like the USB 3.0 throughput could be higher? I get about 400 MB/s with my Virtex-6 ML605 board, but I'm reading USB 3.0 has 5 Gb/s?
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Re: Xillybus USB 3.0?

Postby support »

Hello,

Wanting something hotpluggable sounds like a good reason to go for USB (PCIe is in theory, but that feature doesn't seem to have taken off).

As for the data rate, 5 Gb/s corresponds to a Gen2 PCIe lane, which typically gives 400 MB/s. So don't expect any dramatic improvements. I can't tell what the actual figures will be as of now.

There's also an inherent difference due to the nature of the physical link: The wiring for a PCIe link is short and controlled, while USB is, well some cable and a couple of connectors. Bit errors on the link are extremely rare on PCIe, but I won't be surprised if there will such issues with USB 3.0. There are retransmit and recovery mechanisms in the protocol, however these disrupt the data link momentarily. Might not be a big deal, but can be at high data rates (the FIFO's FPGAs may overflow, for example).

At the moment, these are open-ended speculations. More hands-on experience to be gained later this year.

Regards,
Eli
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