Lattice ispLEVER Classic now costs $$$

[cmorley]

Sad news for fans of the LC4000V/Z/ZE CPLDs which have 5v tolerant IO...

Lattice have decided to charge $600/yr for the design tools (which haven't been updated since 2015) which essentially makes the devices useless for hobby level stuff - even at the few hundred per year that I consume for memory upgrades etc.

So much for "By using free Lattice design tools, you can reprogram the ispMACH 4256V to review your own custom designs."
http://www.latticesemi.com/en/Products/ ... akoutBoard

I have been evaluating the LC4256V on my cheap fast RAM + IDE board. The tools are a bit clunky and buggy but they do work. The devices work and I have 96MHz SDRAM controller + IDE running in under 128 macrocells on it.

I contacted them and their response was "use machX03" as Lattice Diamond is free... a) no 5VT b) BGA only c) when are you going to charge for Diamond?!

So Xilinx XC95xx or level shifts and Intel/Altera MAX V or MAX10 from now on. I don't think I'll bother wasting more time on Lattice.

[terriblefire]

Have you checked if Yosys etc support this chip yet?

[cmorley]

I have spent a while on Google but couldn't find any free toolchains for the ispMACH 4000 CPLDs.

There's project icestorm for the iCE40, maybe there is something for the ispMACH 4000 but I couldn't find it.

edit: It is a shame, the V suffix is single 3v3 supply. The ZE are 1v8 with 5VT IO and quite cheap.

[tzok]

I don't know how it is in US, but I believe that in UE, if a software was ever released under a free license, you can use that release with its original license as long as you wish, no matter what license changes were made to the latter releases.

[cmorley]

I don't know how it is in US, but I believe that in UE, if a software was ever released under a free license, you can use that release with its original license as long as you wish, no matter what license changes were made to the latter releases.

Sadly the British people spoke and we aren't in the EU anymore.

Also the licenses are annual and node locked so the free years were free & any free license continues to be free... until it expires. It is renewals that now cost. They use flexLM node locked annual licenses. They aren't revoking or changing any existing license.

I think they are within their rights to charge for the license - IMO it is a stupid move. Intel/Altera by contrast grant a perpetual license to use the old verstions (e.g. Quartus 13.1 for the old CPLDs or Quartus 18.1 Lite for MAX V/10) and you can stay on the old version for ever.

[tzok]

If the free licenses were time-limited, then nothing can be done. Autodesk does the same with Fusion 360 and Eagle. Now they are free, but licenses are for one year, and then have to be renewed. No one knows for how long the renewal will remain free :(

[czietz]

BTW, considering that free licenses were eliminated in or before May I'm wondering how little outcry there has been on the internet. There must be very few users left.

[cmorley]

The link to get the free license for dev board owners worked in May still but now that 404s.

[cmorley]

Lattice did reply to my email eventually...

They offered me a 90 day license extension but that's of little use long term. Say I need to do a bug fix or develop a new project.

Their explanation was...

We have evaluated our costs for continuing to support our legacy devices on ispLEVER Classic. In this regard, we are implementing a change to the pricing of our software.

I wouldn't expect free tech support on a free tier license. Perhaps access to a community forum.

It is a pity because the LC4xxxV/Z/ZE parts looked great for 5V interfacing. Quick too - I closed timing on a 100MHz SDRAM controller I wrote in the LC4256V first try.