Hi guys,
I am a newbie to FPGAs, I have to do a project on FPGA for my
major project.
My teacher suggested making a mini micro controller using FPGA.
I have some experience using Arduino.
So pls help me with some guidance.
What kind of an FPGA should i buy?
I am planning to learn VHDL.
So pls give your suggestions.
Guest
#3238394
Just have a look here. This webpage might be a good starting point for you if you are interested in learning VHDL. http://hdlplanet.tripod.com/vhdl/vhdl.html Then you might want to buy some kind of prototyping board. For example, Digilent sells some economical priced prototyping boards with Xilinx FPGAs. They are well suited for a beginner's demands. http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Catalog.cfm?NavPath=2,400&Cat=10&FPGA And finally you need some suitable software for developing and programming your FPGA. Here you will find a software bundle from Xilinx named Webpack. You can download the software, install it on your computer and apply for a free license. The free version does have some restrictions, i.ex. you can use it only for small FPGA models. But that's fine for a beginner like you. http://www.xilinx.com/products/design-tools/ise-design-suite/ise-webpack.htm If you have some additional questions, don't hesitate to ask. Hope that helps :-) Best regards, Norbert
Guest
#3238413
Well, I have noticed that quite some links of the first webpage are dead, sorry for this! But here you find lots of interesting training lessons about VHDL and FPGA programming. http://www.youtube.com/user/LBEbooks/videos Just watch & enjoy! Norbert
Thanks Norbert. It was helpful. There is one more thing. Is there any major difference between VHDL and Verilog? Which one is easy to program an FPGA?
Verilog is much more common in the US and a good part of Asia. VHDL rules in Europe. In India both are pretty common (because the designers there most often work for foreign clients, so it depends where the client is). There isn't much difference in terms of functionality. VHDL is a bit more verbose, while Verilog usually appeals more to people who like C. Pick the one that is more common in your area. Once you mastered one of the two with all its design concepts, development flow etc., learning the other one when needed is usually not a big deal.
Thanks I am from India. and also i have some(basics) knowledge about C. So is Verilog my best choice to learn?
Guest
#3240695
pranoy tm wrote: > So is Verilog my best choice to learn? Well, if there are no special requirements it's just a matter of taste. This decision is up to you. Anyway, here is a famous website with some Verilog examples. http://www.fpga4fun.com/
Guest
#3241184
You might check for the Papilio board, various suppliers sell this at approx 50 USD. Still beats the cheapest digilent starter kits.. If you are unsure which language to choose when it comes to bigger projects, I've made good experience with MyHDL (www.myhdl.org). This is an extension module to the Python language that handles simulation and conversion into synthesizable results in either Verilog or VHDL. However, I'd strongly recommend to learn either of the low level languages to be able to debug the output and learn to write synthesizable code. MyHDL helps you to get stuff running quickly and focus on the logic description, moreover, it encourages you to write self-testing code (built-in testbench), but there are many pitfalls to get around until you reach a design that runs in hardware, likewise. However, there are some good examples coming with it guiding you the way. So for learning purposes, I could very much recommend it. But you should consult your tutor about this, too.
what all can i include in this mini micro controller?
i meant that can i make an ADC in FPGA? how can i create registers? how can i create PWM using FPGA?
can i make an ADC in FPGA? -> no how can i create registers? --> Google how can i create PWM using FPGA? --> Google In other words, please do some work yourself first and then come back with specific(!) questions. There is plenty of introductory material out on the web and Google makes it easy to find. As a start you may try e.g. www.digilentinc.com, they have course material for both VHDL and Verilog (the firsta half of each class material is available for free download).
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