For this next project I want to explore the on-board slide switches provided by the Basys 3. I want to keep this project simple and focused on the switches. The simplest idea I could come up with was connecting a switch to an LED. Turn one of the switches on and the LED goes on, […]
One of the Slide Switches and Many LEDs Read More »
Last time we built an Exclusive Or circuit. And we talked briefly about the difference between a Combinational circuit and a Sequential circuit. Recall that in a combinational circuit the outputs are purely a function of the inputs. There is no state (or memory). And operation is not synchronized to a clock signal. This time
Sequential Circuit Design Introduction (meet Blinky) Read More »
Ok, now the development environment is setup. And we have solved my Hyper-V issue. For our first official Verilog design let’s tackle something simple that builds upon what we’ve already covered in earlier posts. Let’s build an Exclusive Or circuit (XOR), which is a simple two-input, one-output logic gate. Exclusive Or circuits are one of
Building An Exclusive Or Circuit Read More »
One thing that you come across when you start working with the Xilinx Vivado tools for FPGA development is the concept of constraint files. Every project you create will need a constraint file in addition to one or more Verilog source files. Digilent conveniently provides a set of Xilinx design constraint files for all of
Practicing Restraint with Xilinx Constraint Files Read More »
Let’s start with a quick introduction to writing Verilog code. Admittedly, we already did take a quick look at Verilog in this earlier post, but I didn’t go into any detail. Verilog files at the top-most level consist of module declarations. So the simplest introduction to Verilog that I can create would look like something
An Extremely Brief Verilog Introduction Read More »
That IS the question. The V in this case stands for virtualization, specifically Microsoft’s Hyper-V. And after more time than I’d like spent trying to work through an issue I was encountering, my answer became no. At least for now. If you are up for an epic and slightly tragic story then read on. Here
The question of which Hardware Definition Language (HDL) to use, Verilog or VHDL, is one of the first things you will encounter once you get ready to start coding for your FPGA device. After choosing my hardware, I confronted this question myself and started research the options. You can find many opinions online, but one
Verilog or VHDL Which Is The Best Choice? Read More »
I am going to talk a little bit about the Pmod pack available from Digilent. At the time of this post the Basys 3 Pmod pack is available from Digilent for $45 USD. So I recently decided to acquire the Pmod pack as a companion to the Basys 3 development board. What is a Pmod?
Introducing The Basys 3 PMod Squad Read More »
To develop for FPGA devices you first need to figure out what hardware and software you require. There are a several choices when it comes to selecting FPGA hardware. That said, some sources suggest that Xilinx and Intel Altera currently represent around 87% of the FPGA hardware volume. Therefore, many of the development boards available
FPGA Hardware and Software Required for Development Read More »
Programmable hardware devices like the FPGA, CPLD and PSoC fascinate me. These devices are intriguing as they offer the speed of dedicated hardware, coupled with the flexibility and re-programmability of software. To me this is an irresistible combination. The rapid growth in capability and application of FPGA devices continues to be impressive. For example, it
Welcome to FPGA Coding! Read More »
