> Hardware (HDL for cheap FPGA like iCE40) might be helpful.
I'm a bit confused, isn't the pi pico the "hardware" in this instance? An FPGA seems like extreme overkill for this when the Pico's PIO peripheral exists (which is what the OP is using).
RP2040 - 1x unit price = $0.70
iCE40 - 1x unit price = $2.50
I'm not sure if low power is necessarily a priority for a debug probe that's always hooked up to a computer, but the RP2040 seems competitive with power consumption. From what I can see in the datasheets, they're both on a 40nm process node.
I've never used the iCE40, is it easy to get a toolchain up and running for it? I haven't done any FPGA programming before but setting up the tooling always seemed more intimidating than using a standard C or Rust toolchain for a microcontroller.
Given the project needs more than just the MCU (or FPGA) chip itself, best to compare finished forms. The project OP posted uses a Pi Pico (aka ~$4) and a comparable form factor for an iCE40 is about $35-40ish.
Did the Pico steal your lunch money as a kid? Run over your dog? Otherwise why the extreme desire to use something ~10x more expensive and significantly higher power draw, for ZERO practical benefit? Don’t get me wrong, I love FPGAs and literally own dozens from $$ to $$$$ and have built many projects with them, but right tool for the job always should be considered.
I'm a bit confused, isn't the pi pico the "hardware" in this instance? An FPGA seems like extreme overkill for this when the Pico's PIO peripheral exists (which is what the OP is using).