Flex Power Designer provides design support for Xilinx FPGAs

17th September 2020

Flex

Alex Lynn

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Flex Power Modules has updated its Flex Power Designer software to include a highly anticipated reference design tool for Xilinx-based field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). The new 4.0 release also provides further system optimisation and loop compensator features to improve overall power-stage design analysis, helping power designers to accelerate time to market.

Primarily, the latest major upgrade to this software version provides a load-based design capability that enables a more accessible and accurate load simulation based on the needs of Xilinx FPGAs. Xilinx Power Estimator (XPE) files for the Virtex Ultrascale+ series can now be effortlessly imported into Flex Power Designer.

Once relevant load input data is selected, the software automatically detects potential design issues (for example, addressing transient power requirements). It also suggests suitable parts to deliver optimised power to rails based on performance and cost. This advancement simplifies pre-design, power architecture evaluation, and power module device selection.

In other enhancements to Flex Power Designer, a system optimisation feature has been introduced to the System view. Starting with a load, it can be used to automatically find suitable products and optimise bus voltage based on several configurable parameters.

Two new features have also been added to the Loop Compensator tool. The first is an option to automatically adjust the Vout setpoint to compensate for Vout droop. The other is an option to include Vout accuracy and ripple in load transient plot and optimisation, providing designers with the means of directly taking into account device tolerances and ripple in load transient simulations.

Additionally, the upgraded software version, which now stands at version 4.0.1 offers extended support for the PMU series of Analog Point of Load (POL) regulators.

Olle Hellgren, Director Product Management and Business Development at Flex Power Modules, said: “Since its introduction in 2012, Flex Power Designer has always been considered as the industry’s leading measurement and simulation management software tool to enable holistic power design. By ushering in the next generation with Xilinx FPGA design support and extra system optimisation and loop compensator analytical features, Flex Power Modules has gifted design teams with accurate and reliable software which is even more robust and easy to use.”