VC707 Evaluation Board: Virtex-7 Development Kit Guide

The VC707 has been my go-to development platform for Virtex-7 prototyping since its release, and for good reason. As a PCB engineer who’s brought multiple FPGA-based products from concept to production, I’ve found the Xilinx VC707 strikes the right balance between feature density and usability for high-speed serial designs. This guide covers everything you need to know about the EK-V7-VC707-G evaluation kit—from hardware specifications to practical setup guidance.

What is the VC707 Evaluation Kit?

The VC707 (part number EK-V7-VC707-G) is AMD/Xilinx’s flagship evaluation platform for the Virtex-7 XT family. Built around the XC7VX485T-2FFG1761C FPGA, this board provides a complete development environment for applications requiring high-speed serial connectivity, advanced memory interfaces, and substantial logic capacity.

The Xilinx VC707 ships as a complete kit including the evaluation board, AMS 101 analog measurement card, USB cables, Ethernet cable, power supply, and a device-locked Vivado Design Suite license. This bundled approach means you can start developing immediately without hunting for additional components.

VC707 FPGA Specifications

The heart of the VC707 is the XC7VX485T-2FFG1761C, one of the most capable mid-range Virtex-7 devices:

The -2 speed grade provides excellent performance for most applications while keeping power consumption manageable. For designs requiring maximum performance, consider the VC709 with its -2 speed grade XC7VX690T and PCIe Gen3 capability.

VC707 Board Hardware Features

Memory Subsystem

The VC707 provides comprehensive memory options for prototyping:

The DDR3 SODIMM interface uses FPGA I/O banks 37, 38, and 39 with a 40Ω impedance implementation. If you’re developing custom DDR3 designs, the VC707’s proven routing can serve as a reference for your production PCB layout.

High-Speed Serial Connectivity

The VC707 excels at high-speed serial prototyping with extensive transceiver access:

The dual HPC FMC connectors are a standout feature. FMC1 provides full HPC population with 8 transceiver lanes, 34 LA pairs, 24 HA pairs, and 22 HB pairs. FMC2 is partially populated but still offers 8 transceivers and 58 differential I/O pairs. This expandability is essential for adding custom analog front-ends, additional networking ports, or specialized I/O.

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Clock Generation Architecture

Proper clocking is critical for high-speed designs, and the VC707 provides multiple clock sources:

The Silicon Labs Si5324 jitter attenuator deserves special mention. It enables clock recovery applications like CPRI and OBSAI by cleaning up a recovered clock from an SFP+ module and providing it as a reference to GTX transceivers. This is exactly the architecture you’d use in a production wireless infrastructure design.

Network and Communication Interfaces

The Marvell 88E1111 Ethernet PHY supports GMII, RGMII, and SGMII interfaces, giving you flexibility in how you implement the MAC in your FPGA logic. For production designs, I typically use SGMII for the cleaner signal integrity characteristics.

EK-V7-VC707-G Kit Contents

The complete EK-V7-VC707-G evaluation kit includes:

The included Vivado license is node-locked and device-locked to the XC7VX485T. This is sufficient for VC707 development but won’t support other devices. For production work across multiple Virtex-7 variants, you’ll need a full Vivado license.

VC707 Configuration Options

The VC707 supports multiple FPGA configuration modes controlled by DIP switch SW11:

The BPI Flash stores up to four bitstreams, selectable via SW11 positions 1 and 2 (address bits A25:A24). This multi-boot capability is useful for storing different design variants or a failsafe golden image alongside your development bitstream.

For development, I typically use JTAG mode with Vivado Hardware Manager. Once a design is stable, program it to BPI Flash for standalone operation. The 128 MB BPI Flash provides ample space for bitstreams plus any firmware data your application requires.

Power Management on the VC707

The VC707 accepts 12V DC input from the included wall adapter or an ATX power connector for PC chassis installation. The onboard power management system generates all required voltage rails:

The VADJ rail powers FMC-connected I/O banks and defaults to 1.8V. Some FMC cards require different voltages—check your mezzanine card specifications before installing.

The board includes voltage and current monitoring via the PMBus interface. The included AMS Evaluator software can read these measurements in real-time, which is invaluable for power optimization during development.

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Getting Started with the Xilinx VC707

Initial Setup Checklist

1. Install Vivado Design Suite — Download from AMD’s website or use the included license voucher
2. Install USB Drivers — Silicon Labs CP210x VCP drivers for UART communication
3. Verify Jumper Settings — Check default positions per UG885 (VC707 User Guide)
4. Connect Power — 12V adapter to J54 or ATX connector
5. Connect USB Cables — Micro-USB for JTAG (J17), Mini-USB for UART (J17)
6. Power On — SW12 power switch

Running the Built-In Self Test (BIST)

The VC707 ships with a BIST programmed in BPI Flash. On power-up:

1. Open a terminal emulator (115200 baud, 8N1)
2. Connect to the Silicon Labs COM port
3. The BIST menu displays available tests
4. Run tests to verify DDR3, Ethernet, LEDs, switches, and other peripherals

The BIST is an excellent first step—if it passes, you know the board is functioning correctly before you start developing custom designs.

VC707 vs. Other 7 Series Evaluation Boards

Understanding where the VC707 fits in the Xilinx evaluation board lineup helps inform your selection:

The VC707 occupies a sweet spot—more capable than the KC705 with dual FMC connectors, but less expensive than the VC709. For most Virtex-7 prototyping, the VC707’s feature set is sufficient.

Target Applications for VC707 Development

The VC707 is particularly well-suited for prototyping:

Networking and Telecommunications

• 10G Ethernet switch/router prototypes
• CPRI/OBSAI wireless infrastructure
• Network function virtualization (NFV) accelerators
• SDN/OpenFlow implementations

Video and Image Processing

• 4K video codec development
• Machine vision preprocessing
• Medical imaging pipelines
• Broadcast infrastructure

High-Performance Computing

• PCIe accelerator cards
• FPGA-based coprocessors
• Financial trading acceleration
• Scientific computing

Embedded Systems

• MicroBlaze-based SoC prototypes
• Industrial control systems
• Aerospace and defense prototyping
• Test and measurement equipment

Essential VC707 Documentation and Resources

Technical Documentation

Download Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between VC707 and VC709?

The VC707 uses the XC7VX485T FPGA with 485K logic cells and PCIe Gen2 x8, while the VC709 features the larger XC7VX690T with 693K logic cells and PCIe Gen3 x8. The VC709 also provides 4× SFP+ cages and 8 GB DDR3 (two SODIMMs) versus the VC707’s single SFP+ and 1 GB DDR3. Choose the VC709 if you need Gen3 PCIe performance or higher logic capacity; otherwise, the VC707 is more cost-effective at approximately $1,500 less.

Does the VC707 include a Vivado license?

Yes, the EK-V7-VC707-G kit includes a Vivado Design Suite Design Edition license that is node-locked and device-locked to the XC7VX485T FPGA. This license is sufficient for all development targeting the VC707 board but won’t support other Xilinx devices. For multi-device development, purchase a full Vivado license separately.

Can I use the VC707 as a PCIe card in a desktop PC?

Yes, the VC707 includes an 8-lane PCIe edge connector that fits standard PCIe x8 or x16 slots. The board can be powered either from an external 12V supply or through an ATX power connector when installed in a PC chassis. This configuration is ideal for developing PCIe-based accelerators and high-speed data acquisition systems.

What FMC mezzanine cards are compatible with the VC707?

The VC707 supports VITA 57.1 compliant FMC cards. Both HPC connectors provide GTX transceiver access, making the board compatible with high-speed analog FMC cards for ADC/DAC applications, additional networking interfaces, and specialized I/O. Popular compatible cards include ADC/DAC modules from Analog Devices, networking FMCs from various vendors, and custom development cards. Verify the FMC card’s VADJ voltage requirements match the VC707’s 1.8V default.

Is the VC707 still available and supported?

The VC707 is currently listed as end-of-life (EOL) at some distributors, though inventory remains available through various channels. AMD has committed to supporting 7 Series FPGAs through 2040, so software and IP support continues. For new projects, consider evaluating the KCU105 (Kintex UltraScale) or VCU108 (Virtex UltraScale) as potential alternatives with longer product lifecycles.

Conclusion

The VC707 remains an excellent development platform for Virtex-7 FPGA prototyping, particularly for designs requiring high-speed serial connectivity and FMC expansion capability. While newer UltraScale evaluation boards offer improved performance, the Xilinx VC707’s combination of the XC7VX485T FPGA, dual HPC FMC connectors, comprehensive clocking infrastructure, and included Vivado license makes it a complete solution for serious FPGA development work.

Whether you’re developing 10G networking applications, PCIe accelerators, or video processing systems, the EK-V7-VC707-G provides the hardware foundation and reference designs needed to move from concept to working prototype efficiently.