Programmable Logic Holds the Key to Addressing Device Obsolescence

Giles Peckham, Xilinx
12/19/2017 00:01 AM EST

The use of programmable devices helps designers not only to address component obsolescence, but also to reduce the cost and complexity of the solution.

Many applications have a long service life — for example those deployed within industrial, scientific and military industries. In these applications, the service life may exceed that of component availability, impacting the ability of the manufacturer to perform repairs or start new production runs. If the obsolete devices are discrete components such as passive devices, replacement parts might be identified more easily.

However, if the component which has been made obsolete is more complex, such as a processor, logic function or microcontroller, then identifying a suitable replacement device is much more complicated. Replacing these more advanced, obsolete components in a design can be very costly, potentially requiring an entire redesign of the electronic hardware and software. The use of programmable devices helps mitigate these impacts allowing designers not only to address the component obsolescence, but also to reduce the cost and complexity of the solution.

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