3899 - iCECube2 / iCE40 / PLL: What is the difference between selecting "PACKAGEPIN" and "General Purpose IO Pad or Core Logic" options during PLL generation?
Solution:
If the "Dedicated Clock Pad (single ended)" is selected during the PLL generation, the IO pin connected to the PLL's "PACKAGEPIN" becomes dedicated and hence, the signal coming in from that IO pin can't be used for any other logic design in the RTL.
For example, trying to run an another Process within the design that uses the clock which is being supplied through that IO pin, which is already feeding the PLL's "PACKAGEPIN", will encounter with an error.
Selecting the "General Purpose IO Pad or Core Logic" during the PLL generation allows the user to use the incoming source clock as input to the PLL and also for other logic design in the RTL.