Open-hardware Lattice ECP5 board used for open-source FPGA development, education, LiteX and retro-computing projects.
LFE5U-85F-6BG381Copen toolchainprice unknowneducationvideoretrorisc-v
Boards
Compare boards
Enter board slugs separated by commas, for example: sipeed/tang-nano-20k,icebreaker/icebreaker.
Compact Gowin GW2AR board with HDMI, audio amplifier, TF card slot, SDRAM, and onboard debugger.
GW2AR-LV18QN88C8/I7open toolchain28.17 USDeducationvideoaudiorisc-v
Open-source educational Lattice iCE40UP5K board designed around the Yosys, nextpnr and IceStorm flow.
iCE40UP5K-SG48open toolchainprice unknowneducationcontroldspformal
| Field | ULX3S | Tang Nano 20K | iCEBreaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chip | LFE5U-85F-6BG381C | GW2AR-LV18QN88C8/I7 | iCE40UP5K-SG48 |
| Family | ECP5 | GW2A/GW2AR | iCE40 UltraPlus |
| Device type | FPGA | FPGA | FPGA |
| Price | unknown | 28.17 USD | unknown |
| Toolchains | Yosys + nextpnr + Project Trellis | Gowin EDA, Yosys + nextpnr-gowin + Apicula | Yosys + nextpnr + IceStorm, Lattice Diamond Programmer |
| Open toolchain | yes | yes | yes |
| Interfaces | Digital video connector, SD card, USB | HDMI, MAX98357A I2S amplifier path, TF card slot, USB Type-C, Onboard BL616 JTAG, USB UART | microUSB FT2232H, FT2232H programming, USB serial |
| Memory | SDRAM varies by revision | 32-bit SDR SDRAM 64 Mbit, Onboard flash 64 Mbit | QSPI flash 128 Mbit |
| Documentation | 72 | 78 | 82 |
| Difficulty | intermediate | beginner | beginner |
| Openness score | 95 | 76 | 96 |
| Where to get help | ULX3S project links | Sipeed forum, r/GowinFPGA | iCEBreaker community docs |
| Typical risks | Memory, USB and video details are revision-dependent; check the exact PCB revision. | Verify exact board revision before using pin labels, constraints, or power assumptions. Onboard debugger recognition Flash persistence mode | Check add-on pinout and exact hardware revision before connecting Pmods. |
| Better for | open-source flow | beginner learning | open-source flow |