HDL (hardware description language) and FPGA (field-programmable gate array) devices allow designers to quickly develop and simulate a sophisticated digital circuit, realize it on a prototyping device, and verify operation of the physical implementation. As these technologies mature, they have become mainstream practice. We can now use a PC and an inexpensive FPGA prototyping board to construct a complex and sophisticated digital system. This book uses a “learning by doing” approach and illustrates the FPGA and HDL development and design process by a series of examples. A wide range of examples is included, from a simple gate-level circuit to an embedded system with an 8-bit soft-core microcontroller and customized I/O peripherals. All examples can be synthesized and physically tested on a prototyping board.
This book uses a "learn by doing" approach to introduce the concepts and techniques of VHDL and FPGA to designers through a series of hands-on experiments. FPGA Prototyping by VHDL Examples provides a collection of clear, easy-to-follow templates for quick code development; a large number of practical examples to illustrate and reinforce the concepts and design techniques; realistic projects that can be implemented and tested on a Xilinx prototyping board; and a thorough exploration of the Xilinx PicoBlaze soft-core microcontroller.