The TinyFPGA BX is a small FPGA module with all of the components and circuitry required for the FPGA to function taken care of for you. To develop for the board you create a design in your favorite digital design language (Verilog/VHDL Migen and Chisel are some popular options). Alternatively you can use a schematic entry tool like IceStudio. A schematic entry tool allows you to graphically draw a digital circuit to be implemented on the FPGA.
Once you have a design you can program it onto the TinyFPGA BX module over USB. All the functions your design implements will now be able to interface with the outside world through the module's IO pins.
Specifications
Height: 1.4 inches width: 0.7 inches
Programming interface: USB 2.0 fullspeed (12 mbit/sec)
ICE40LP8K FPGA
7 680 fourinput lookuptables
128 KBit block RAM
Phase Locked Loop
41 user IO pins
8 MBit of SPI Flash
Onboard 3.3 V (300 mA) and 1.2 V (150 mA) LDO regulators
LowPower 16 MHz MEMs Oscillator
1.3 mA power when active
50 ppm stability.
The TinyFPGA BX brings the power and flexibility of custom digital logic designs to the maker community. The BX module allows you to design and implement your own digital logic circuits in a tiny formfactor perfect for breadboards small spaces or custom PCBs.
This incredible power allows you to do things that are not possible with traditional microcontrollers. While microcontroller boards have a fixed set of peripheral devices onboard the TinyFPGA BX modules can implement the exact peripheral devices needed to get the job done. It's not software bitbanging it's the real deal implemented in digital logic. When the next project has different requirements reprogram the TinyFPGA BX with a new design suited to the task.
The full potential of programmable logic devices allows for even more ambitious projects than custom microcontroller peripherals: augment a retrocomputer with new capabilities recreate an 8bit computer from history or design your own.