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Forum: FPGA, VHDL & Verilog How to combine bitstreams (thrid party IP cores) to use it in main design?


von Jaodat (Guest)


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In FPGA design when we buy Intellectual property (IP) from a vendor I 
assume they provide the IP core in a form of bitstream file.
My question is how we actually combine these different bitstreams from 
different vendors and configure it in our system?

von Lothar M. (Company: Titel) (lkmiller) (Moderator)


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Jaodat wrote:
> I assume they provide the IP core in a form of bitstream file.
What does this assumption base on?

> they provide the IP core in a form of bitstream file.
Then it is nearly useless because a bitstream is a programming file, its 
only useful to be loaded directly into exactly one type of FPGA.
Usually a core consists of several (encrypted) netlist files and a HDL 
wrapper to invoke it in your top level design.

> My question is how we actually combine these different bitstreams from
> different vendors and configure it in our system?
You know the different processing steps of your (unknwon) systen? 
Synthesize ... Translate ... Place&Route ... Programfile Generation?
If no: read the manual.
If yes: the wrapper goes to the synthesizer, the netlist usually to P&R.

: Edited by Moderator
von Strubi (Guest)


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For Xilinx and Lattice FPGA you would typically receive a NGO black box 
object file with the interface defined in the wrapper source that Lothar 
already mentioned. Then there's not much difference from using a source 
or black box component, from the programmer's perspective. Just that you 
can't stick the NGO into simulation.

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