Introducing Shrike-lite,Shrike-lite is a cost-effective, open-source microcontroller + FPGA development board tailored for makers, hobbyists, students, and embedded designers.
With Shrike-lite, you can explore both traditional microcontroller-based and FPGA-based logic development on a single, compact board.
Key Features
- Combines an FPGA (1120 5-input LUTs) and an RP2040 ARM Cortex-M0 microcontroller on one board
- Integrated IO interface between the FPGA and the MCU, enabling flexible co-processing and hardware/software partitioning
- PMOD-compatible connector for modular add-ons and expansion modules
- Breadboard-compatible design (pin spacing/layout) for easy prototyping
- On-board QSPI Flash memory for configuration and storage
- Two user LEDs for simple status indicators
- USB Type-C port for both power and programming
Why Shrike-lite?
Shrike-lite was conceived to democratize FPGA access for learners and makers. The creators at
Vicharak designed the board with affordability, openness, and ecosystem support in mind.
Everything — from hardware schematics to software toolchain — is open source .Github
This makes Shrike-lite ideal as:
- An educational tool for students exploring digital logic, embedded systems, or reconfigurable computing
- A prototyping board for combining firmware (on RP2040) and hardware acceleration (on FPGA)
- A stepping stone for those who later want to move to more powerful FPGA systems
What’s Included / What You’ll Need
- The Shrike-lite board
- (Optional) PMOD modules, jumpers, breadboard, external sensors or actuators
Before You Start
- A computer with support for the open-source toolchain and FPGA configuration tools
You Will Explore / Learn
- Programming the RP2040 microcontroller using Embedded C or MicroPython
- Designing digital logic using Verilog or VHDL for the FPGA
- Building hybrid projects that combine firmware and hardware acceleration