New to Alchitry: long term availability and baseboard questions.

Already for quite some time I am looking for a small (affordable) FPGA module (Preferred Xilinx based), which is not to difficult to mount on a (DIY) baseboard and has an upgrade path to a larger FPGA.

Alchitry seems to be a good choice at first sight. I have, however some questions, which somebody might be able to answer.

  • Long term availibility: it is nice to have an upgrade path or to design a baseboard, but it is not nice if after a year the module becomes unavailable. Are there any intentions wrt long term availability ?

  • Baseboard: many commercial modules have more than 2 fine pitch connectors (sometimes with soldering pins underneath. This makes precise connector placement on a baseboard difficult. It seems the connectors used on the Alchitry board have positioning pins, which make placement and hot air soldering or simple reflow feasible. Is this correct and do some of you have experience with DIY baseboards for Alchitry (related to the connectors and correct fit of the module) ?
  • Thanks in advance for any information.