Data Sheet

Arty FPGA Board Reference Manual
Copyright Digilent, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Page 14 of 18
10 Pmod Connectors
Pmod connectors are 2×6, right-angle, 100-mil spaced female connectors that mate with standard 2×6 pin
headers. Each 12-pin Pmod connector provides two 3.3V VCC signals (pins 6 and 12), two Ground signals (pins 5
and 11), and eight logic signals, as shown in Fig. 16. The VCC and Ground pins can deliver up to 1A of current, but
care must be taken not to exceed any of the power budgets of the onboard regulators or the external power
supply (these are described in the “Power supplies” section).
Digilent produces a large collection of Pmod accessory boards that can attach to the Pmod expansion connectors
to add ready-made functions like A/D’s, D/A’s, motor drivers, sensors, and other functions.
The Arty has four Pmod connectors, some of which behave differently than others. Each Pmod connector falls into
one of two categories: standard or high-speed. Table 9 specifies which category each Pmod falls into, and also lists
the FPGA pins they are connected to. The following sections describe the different types of Pmods.
Figure 10.1. Pmod connector.
Pmod JA
Pmod JB
Pmod JC
Pmod JD
Pmod Type
Standard
High-speed
High-speed
Standard
Pin 1
G13
E15
U12
D4
Pin 2
B11
E16
V12
D3
Pin 3
A11
D15
V10
F4
Pin 4
D12
C15
V11
F3
Pin 7
D13
J17
U14
E2
Pin 8
B18
J18
V14
D2
Pin 9
A18
K15
T13
H2
Pin 10
K16
J15
U13
G2
Table 4. Pmod connector categories.
10.1 Standard Pmod
The standard Pmod connectors are connected to the FPGA via 200Ohm series resistors. The series resistors
prevent short circuits that can occur if the user accidentally drives a signal that is supposed to be used as an input.
The downside to this added protection is that these resistors can limit the maximum switching speed of the data
signals. If the Pmod being used does not require high-speed access, then the standard Pmod connector should be
used to help prevent damage to the devices.