Reliable SPI Connectivity: AXI to SPI IP Core for FPGA Designs

Reliable SPI Connectivity: AXI to SPI IP Core for FPGA Designs

In modern embedded systems, connecting your FPGA design to SPI-based peripherals should be simple, robust, and vendor-agnostic.

Sital Technology’s AXI to SPI IP core delivers exactly that — a straightforward and dependable bridge between the AXI bus and SPI interfaces, ideal for integrating with Sital’s own SPI cards.

What Is the AXI to SPI?

The AXI to SPI is a fully portable IP core designed to work across all major FPGA technologies. It hooks directly into your design’s AXI backbone while routing SPI signals to the FPGA pins.

It supports both Single SPI and Dual SPI modes — with no software drivers required.

This driverless approach means quicker integration, reduced development effort, and freedom from vendor lock-in.

Whether you’re working with Xilinx, Intel (Altera), Lattice, or Microchip FPGAs, the AXI to SPI gives you maximum flexibility and is easy to adapt across future projects.

Why Choose AXI to SPI Over Vendor-Supplied SPI Masters?

Unlike traditional vendor-specific SPI master controllers that often rely on software drivers and fixed configurations, the AXI to SPI offers:

• Driver-free AXI-to-SPI access
• Automatic switching between Single and Dual SPI modes
• 2MB memory-mapped interface with mode control via address bits
• Full portability across FPGA families with zero redesign

This makes AXI to SPI ideal for developers looking to simplify hardware-software integration while building systems that are easy to maintain and evolve.

Get the IP Core – Included Free with Any SPI Card Purchase

Key Features at a Glance:

• Memory Mapping: 2MB mapped at address 0x200000 on the AXI bus.
• Mode Selection via Address Bits:
  • 11 for Single SPI (backward compatible)
  • 01 for Dual SPI
  • 00 reserved for future Quad SPI support
• Clock Control:
  • SPI clock derived from Axi_aclk (up to 50 MHz)
  • Suitable for high-speed designs with proper trace layout
• Easy Integration:
  • Supplied with two VHDL files for all FPGA P&R tools:
    • AXI4_Dual_SPI_Pipeline_Master.vhd
    • Modgen_specifics_sital.vhd

Real-World Example: Xilinx MPSoC in Vivado

In a live implementation using Xilinx’s MPSoC platform and Vivado, the IP was connected to a system running at 100 MHz.

A recorded Single SPI write cycle demonstrated efficient AXI transactions and solid timing, with each SPI cycle taking about 1.3 µs at 25 MHz — proving the design’s speed and consistency.

Ready to Integrate?

Sital’s AXI to SPI IP is built for performance, simplicity, and portability.

If you need reliable SPI communication without the burden of vendor-specific tools or driver development, this IP core is ready to go.

👉 Contact us for integration support.