Forum: FPGA, VHDL & Verilog FPGA development resources

*CPLD or FPGA?*

The main difference is that CPLDs are smaller than FPGAs, i.e. you can 
fit a lot more logic inside a FPGA than inside a CPLD.

* CPLDs: address decoders, bus interfaces, simple memory controllers, 
(video) signal generators
* FPGAs: complex CPUs, high speed I/O, signal processing, encryption

*VHDL or Verilog?*

The difference is mainly in syntax, you can get the same synthesis 
result with both languages. VHDL is more verbose than Verilog (which can 
be an advantage or disadvantage, depending on how you look at it). In 
Europe VHDL is much more widely used than Verilog, in the US Verilog 
seems to be slightly more popular.

Basic rules for VHDL development

See "http://embdev.net/articles/VHDL":http://embdev.net/articles/VHDL.

Chip vendors

* "Xilinx":http://www.xilinx.com
* "Altera":http://www.altera.com
* "Lattice":http://www.latticesemi.com
* "Actel":http://www.actel.com

Boards
* also see the FPGA vendors' websites
* "Digilent":http://www.digilentinc.com

Tutorials
* TODO

IP Cores
* "Opencores":http://opencores.org - CPUs, USB, Ethernet, encryption, 
...

If you want to suggest any additions to this post, please reply below.

Here is a Source for learning FPGA and VHDL concepts

http://allaboutfpga.com/

for verfication

http://www.stefanvhdl.com/


a good simulator is the combination GHDL and GTKwave

http://sourceforge.net/projects/ghdl-updates/
http://gtkwave.sourceforge.net/



I have written an introduction for this simulator
http://www.dossmatik.de/ghdl/ghdl_unisim_eng.pdf

I found the book "Free Range VHDL" to be an excellent book about the 
language and also about best practices when writing VHDL code. Link:
http://freerangefactory.org/shop.html#FreeRangeVHDL-Book

Cheers, Warren

I found these IP for Ethernet very useful:
http://www.fpga-cores.com/

For those who likes C++ this is very good to fast and easily create CPU 
/ RISC-V systems for FPGAs:
http://www.fpga-cores.com/instant-soc/

Simple VHDL Editor with access to IP Core library:

http://sba.accesus.com/software-tools/sba-creator

SBA (Simple Bus Architecture):

http://sba.accesus.com/

Some Open IP Cores for SBA:

https://github.com/mriscoc/SBA-Library

I am creating a Youtube playlist for those who are interested to 
start/learn/try hardware-software codesign with Xilinx Zynq APSoC 
platform. There are already 40 Videos and hoping to add about 100 Videos 
from basic to advanced level. Basic background in Verilog and C 
programming are assumed. All source code are made available through git 
repo.

https://lnkd.in/gnw7Au8

CPLD or FPGA?

>The main difference is that CPLDs are smaller than FPGAs,
>i.e. you can fit a lot more logic inside a FPGA than inside a CPLD.

 Main different CPLD from FPGA that :

CPLD work immidiatly after power up

FPGA after power up need time for load from external or internal flash 
memory.

 It's present some application wich need work immidiatly after power up 
and can be released only by CPLD.

P.S.
 FPGA can lose it design and stop work after short time power down or 
power spike and need it reload.

 CPLD does not have this problem.

 Regards Alex.

ktorkkelson wrote:
> @Alexander S. you really have no clue of these things!

 Perhaps Wikipedia have clue of these things :

 The most noticeable difference between a large CPLD and a small FPGA is 
the presence of on-chip non-volatile memory in the CPLD, which allows 
CPLDs to be used for "boot loader" functions, before handing over 
control to other devices not having their own permanent program storage. 
A good example is where a CPLD is used to load configuration data for an 
FPGA from non-volatile memory.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_programmable_logic_device

FPGA loads it from external memory (typically on every power-on)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field-programmable_gate_array

Vipin K. wrote:
> I am creating a Youtube playlist for those who are interested to
> start/learn/try hardware-software codesign with Xilinx Zynq APSoC
> platform. There are already 40 Videos and hoping to add about 100 Videos
> from basic to advanced level. Basic background in Verilog and C
> programming are assumed. All source code are made available through git
> repo.
>
> https://lnkd.in/gnw7Au8

 Usually I put real ModelSim project which you can start and check 
simulation of design and see that design really work.

You don't need to build ModelSim  project and design TestBench file .

ModelSim simulation tools you can download from Altera's site.

 Regards Alex.

If you are working with Wishbone Instant SoC now supports Wishbone in a 
very nice way.
See https://www.fpga-cores.com/wishbone/