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Welcome to this in-depth course on FPGA Design using VHDL, where you'll embark on an exciting journey to master the essentials of digital design, VHDL programming, and FPGA implementation. This course is ideal for beginners and covers practical, hands-on examples to ensure you build confidence in designing and deploying complex FPGA projects.

Here's what you'll learn:
Introduction to VHDL:

* Signals, constants, generics, variables, and data types.
* Type conversion and VHDL operators.
* File structure, including entity and architecture declarations.
* Practical Projects:
Building a finite state machine,
Shift registers,
Multiplexers,
Designing RAM/ROM
Debouncing asynchronous inputs,
Creating a UART module and generating PWM signals.

FPGA Development with Cyclone II :
Real hardware testing on the Cyclone II Development Board.
Interactive projects like seven-segment displays and LED controls.
Implementing communication via RS232.

Tools and Software:
Comprehensive use of Intel Quartus for synthesis, pin assignments, and IP catalogue.
Verification and simulation using Questa Simulator and ModelSim, including extensive test benches.
Timing analysis with SDC file creation and resource optimization using the Quartus assignment editor.

Advanced Topics:
Hierarchical designs, VHDL libraries, and custom packages.
Netlist viewer for hardware realization insights.
System-level testing for full FPGA designs.
By the end of this course, you’ll have hands-on experience in creating FPGA projects and testing them on real hardware, ensuring your designs meet performance requirements.


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Transcript
00:00Hello everyone.
00:01Welcome to our FPGA design course with VSGL.
00:05In this video we will give you little brief about what we are going to cover in this learning
00:10series.
00:11By the end of this course you will be able to design your complex FPGA projects with
00:15confidence using VSGL.
00:17So let's dive in and start mastering this language together.
00:21Throughout this course we will work on the variety of projects and practical exercises
00:25to develop the deep understanding of VSGL and FPGA.
00:29We will begin with the straightforward projects and then gradually increase the complexity
00:34of our projects to design bigger systems.
00:37To test these projects we will use the cyclone 2 development boot for the experiment with
00:42the real hardware.
00:44In this course we will cover the essential topics such as signals, constraints, generics, variables
00:49and many many more things.
00:51These are fundamental concepts that form the basic building blocks of VSGL.
00:55We will explore the various data types in VSGL and learn how to create the custom data types
01:01as well.
01:03Additionally, we will go into the type conversions.
01:06This feature will enable us to convert the data between different data types.
01:11We will use the typecasting functions and VSGL functions to convert between different data
01:15types.
01:17After that we will learn about the VSGL operators.
01:20There are around 30 VSGL operators and we will cover each one in details later.
01:26Next we will explore the process and block statements in VSGL.
01:30We will cover both the registered version and the combinational version of these statements
01:35including the sensitivity list.
01:37You will learn that how to determine which signals should include in the sensitivity list.
01:42We will also discuss the general structure of the VSGL files.
01:47We will cover the entity declaration, the architecture declaration and the overall structure of
01:52VSGL files.
01:53Additionally, we will learn how to instantiate components and create the structural designs.
02:00We will discuss nearly all the VSGL keywords including both concurrent and sequential statements.
02:05Lastly, we will explore the functions and procedures which are useful for performing the actions
02:12that need to be repeated multiple times.
02:15We will also explore the VSGL libraries and packages, both existing ones and how to create
02:21your own.
02:22Throughout this course we will use the numerous examples to demonstrate how to apply VSGL concepts
02:28in various scenarios.
02:31These examples will demonstrate the use of specific keywords and the options available when
02:35we are using them.
02:37Next we will be creating the full designs including finite state machines, shift registers, serializers,
02:44memory components such as RAM, ROMs, etc., multiplexers, tri-state drivers, comparators, etc.
02:51We will walk through these examples step by step.
02:54Additionally we will talk about several FPGA projects that we will implement and load onto the
02:59FPGA development board.
03:02This hands-on approach allows us to test our code in real hardware and interact with it
03:06to ensure that our FPGA design functions as expected.
03:11Our first project will involve creating the input from a single switch and controlling a
03:16single LED output.
03:18This project is focused on understanding the tools and procedures required to implement a
03:23project and program the FPGA on board.
03:26Next we will implement a simple state machine on the FPGA development board.
03:31This example will demonstrate that how the state machines can be implemented and run on
03:36the real hardware.
03:38Next we will tackle a slightly more complex topic which is how to synchronize the asynchronous
03:43input.
03:44We will focus on debouncing a switch input and discuss the approach how to achieve this.
03:50We will explore that how to generate a PWM pulse width modulation signal using an FPGA.
03:57We will cover a simple method for generating pulses including how to vary the period and
04:02adjust the duty cycle of it.
04:06Next we will dive into designing a shift register on the FPGA development board.
04:11This topic adds a bit more complexity to our project.
04:14We will develop a 4 digit 7 segment display on the board to show a number that corresponds
04:19that how many times the switch has been pressed.
04:23This project adds a practical aspect by interacting with the ports and its components.
04:29And it will add a hands-on element to our learning experiences.
04:32Lastly, we will develop a communication module, a UART universal asynchronous receiver transmitter
04:39module.
04:41This module will work alongside the state machine and enable the communication between the FPGA
04:45development board and a computer over the RS-232 interface.
04:49We will make the extensive use of Intel Quartus software in this course.
04:55We will use it to create and compile our FPGA projects as well as performing the pin assignments.
05:02Pin assignment is the tool which involves mapping ports in a VSDL file to the physical pin on
05:07the FPGA device itself.
05:10Pin assignment is the process of mapping ports in our VSDL code to the physical pin of the
05:16FPGA device.
05:18This step is crucial for ensuring that our designs functions correctly on the actual hardware.
05:25I will walk you through how to perform this in this course.
05:28I will also give you a basic understanding of how to use the Quartus IP catalog.
05:34This catalog contains pre-designed VSDL components that you can select, drag and drop into your
05:40VSDL project.
05:41This feature simplifies the designer's life because most of the work has already been
05:46done in these catalogues.
05:48All you need to do is just learn how to generate these IP designs and then incorporate them into
05:53your own projects.
05:55I will provide an example to show you how to use Quartus IP catalog in this learning series.
06:01Additionally, I will demonstrate how to use the USB plaster to program the FPGA.
06:08This is particularly useful for testing purpose right after compiling your projects on the
06:12development board.
06:13We will also explore some of the output reports of the Quartus packages including the netlist
06:20viewer.
06:21This tool is quite useful because it allows you to see the hardware realization in your
06:26design.
06:27When you write your VSDL code, it exists in the text editor, however on the physical device
06:33it is implemented using the registers, combination logic and gates such as AND gate, OR gate, NOT
06:39gate etc.
06:40And all these things are connected by some wiring, right?
06:44The netlist viewer provides a visual representation of this hardware realization, helping you to
06:49understand how the physical hardware performs the functions which you are describing into the
06:54VSDL.
06:55We will also explore the fitter reports which is another type of report provided by Quartus.
07:02This report is valuable for understanding the resource consumed by your VSDL design.
07:07It provides the detailed information about the allocation of the resources on the FPGA
07:12and giving you the insights into how efficiently your design is using the available hardware.
07:18You will be able to see that how many registers and gates your design uses among all other things.
07:25This report gives you a comprehensive overview of the resource usage and help you identify
07:29where the resources are being utilized.
07:32We will also explore the Quartus assignment editor.
07:36This tool allows you to fine-tune the implementation of your design.
07:40While your VSDL code describes the behavior of your design, the assignment editor helps you
07:46to optimize how that code is translated into the physical hardware by the Quartus compilation
07:52process.
07:53We will also explore the other settings, options and optimizations available within the Quartus.
08:00Additionally, I will provide a basic introduction on the timing analyzer and how to create a basic
08:06timing constraints including generating an SDC file.
08:10However, this coverage will be introductory.
08:14For verification and simulation, we will be using ModelSim.
08:17I will demonstrate that how to create and compile ModelSim projects, write module label and system
08:24label testbench models and use text files to generate inputs and output vectors for testing.
08:31By using the assignment editor, you can influence how specific sections of your code or design
08:36are implemented in the hardware.
08:39This optimization can lead to better overall design efficiency.
08:44Understanding how to test a complex RPG design is very crucial.
08:47We will cover that how to perform the simulations using ModelSim, including developing the comprehensive
08:54test benches especially for the final project.
08:57We will write the test benches at the module label for the various modules and ultimately
09:04design a system label test bench to ensure the entire system functions correctly when all
09:09the modules and all the modules are integrated.
09:12We will use the wave window in ModelSim to analyze our results and ensure that they are aligned with
09:18our expectations.
09:20This approach ensures that our FPGA designs are thoroughly tested and functions as intended.
09:26This FPGA development board with the Cyclone 2 device looks great.
09:30It has 7 segment display which will definitely come in handy for our projects.
09:35It seems like a very capable board for learning and experimenting with FPGA design in budget.
09:42You can also try the mid-range FPGA devices as well like Cyclone 4 devices etc.
09:48The other thing that is highly useful about this development board is that it has these
09:53header pins.
09:54These general purpose input-output headers on the board let you easily connect other hardware
10:00on the FPGA for experiments.
10:03This flexibility is great for trying our new ideas.
10:07This is quite useful if you want to experiment by plugging in other hardware modules onto your
10:12FPGA development board.
10:13There are also an LCD connector at the side which means you can connect and control an external
10:20LCD device with this FPGA.
10:24This summarizes what we will cover in this course giving you a good understanding of FPGA
10:29designs.
10:30Hope you are looking forward to it.
10:32In the next session I will show you the easiest way to grab the Quartus Prime software for free
10:37to practice the exercises of this course.
10:40So stay tuned for the updates.
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