FPGA Prototyping by VHDL Examples

<p><b>A hands-on introduction to FPGA prototyping and SoC design</b></p> <p>This <i>Second Edition</i> of the popular book follows the same “learning-by-doing” approach to teach the fundamentals and practices of VHDL synthesis and FPGA prototyping. It uses a coherent series of examples to demonstrate the process to develop sophisticated digital circuits and IP (intellectual property) cores, integrate them into an SoC (system on a chip) framework, realize the system on an FPGA prototyping board, and verify the hardware and software operation. The examples start with simple gate-level circuits, progress gradually through the RT (register transfer) level modules, and lead to a functional embedded system with custom I/O peripherals and hardware accelerators. Although it is an introductory text, the examples are developed in a rigorous manner, and the derivations follow strict design guidelines and coding practices used for large, complex digital systems.</p> <p>The new edition is completely updated. It presents the hardware design in the SoC context and introduces the hardware-software co-design concept. Instead of treating examples as isolated entities, the book integrates them into a single coherent SoC platform that allows readers to explore both hardware and software “programmability” and develop complex and interesting embedded system projects. The revised edition:</p> <ul> <li>Adds four general-purpose IP cores, which are multi-channel PWM (pulse width modulation) controller, I²C controller, SPI controller, and XADC (Xilinx analog-to-digital converter) controller.</li> <li>Introduces a music synthesizer constructed with a DDFS (direct digital frequency synthesis) module and an ADSR (attack-decay-sustain-release) envelop generator.</li> <li>Expands the original video controller into a complete stream-based video subsystem that incorporates a video synchronization circuit, a test pattern generator, an OSD (on-screen display) controller, a sprite generator, and a frame buffer.</li> <li>Introduces basic concepts of software-hardware co-design with Xilinx MicroBlaze MCS soft-core processor.</li> <li>Provides an overview of bus interconnect and interface circuit.</li> <li>Introduces basic embedded system software development.</li> <li>Suggests additional modules and peripherals for interesting and challenging projects.</li> </ul> <p>The <i>FPGA Prototyping by VHDL Examples, Second Edition</i> makes a natural companion text for introductory and advanced digital design courses and embedded system course. It also serves as an ideal self-teaching guide for practicing engineers who wish to learn more about this emerging area of interest.</p>