Pico Communications E-15 manual Appendix H Fpga Performance Enhancements

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Appendix H – FPGA Performance Enhancements

Overview:

Like most silicon devices, the FPGA on the Pico E-15 can be overclocked if proper cooling techniques are employed. Care must be taken to avoid thermal runaway.

Thermal Runaway:

As the die temperature of the FPGA increases, it draws more power. This extra power gets turned into heat. If thermal equilibrium is not reached with proper cooling, the FPGA will overheat. The E-15 is protected against catestropic overtemperature conditions via the integrated temperature sensor, although the limits should not routinely be pushed. The maximum FPGA core temperature is 150°C. Note that chips surrounding the FPGA can be damaged by temperatures above 70°C.

Heat Sink Placement:

The heat sink of the FPGA is internally connected via thermal grease to the case of the CardBus card on the bottom side (no markings). Placing a large heat sink on the outside of the case can allow higher performance.

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