That's alot of hardware compared to Xilinx CPLD's which just need a J-TAG port and programming cable and the free software. I think they still have PLCC packages available too.
It's a device test rig as well as programmer. If programming is all that is needed a simple JTAG hookup will suffice, like with the Xilinx parts.
I decided to get this unit so I could play around with the logic after written into the CPLD. There are some 7-segment displays, LEDs, push buttons, etc., all of which can be used to see what happens when input X goes high or input Y goes low. There is also an embedded clock generator for testing logic where a clock signal is involved.
Atmel makes different adapters for this unit so various package sizes and types can be supported. The unit ships with a 44 pin PQFP adapter, as well as some sample CPLDs in that package size. The version of the ATF1508as I plan to use comes in a PLCC84 package, so I also got one of those adapters.
