Trends In Embedded Design Using Programmable Gate Arrays

This text describes modern embedded processing systems using the Field Programmable Gate Array. This new paradigm in embedded design utilizes the Verilog Hardware Descriptive Language behavioral synthesis of controller and datapath constructs and the finite state machine for digital signal processing, communications and control with the FPGA, external hard core and internal soft core peripherals. This text features the Xilinx Spartan-6 Nexys 3 and Atlys evaluation boards, the Xilinx ISE EDA and the Xilinix LogiCORE blocks. The Xilinx Zynq system-on-chip with dual ARM CORTEX-A9 hard core processors, AMBA AXI bus and FPGA is described. Trends in Embedded Design Using Programmable Gate Arrays is intended as a supplementary text and laboratory manual for undergraduate students in a contemporary course in digital logic and embedded systems. Professionals who have not had an exposure to the coarse grained FPGA, the Verilog HDL, an EDA software tool or the controller and datapath constructs and the finite state machine will find that this text facilitates an expansive experience.

Embedded Design Using Programmable Gate Arrays Dennis Silage This text describes modern embedded processing systems using the Field Programmable Gate Array. This new paradigm in embedded design utilizes the Verilog Hardware Description Language behavioral synthesis of controller and datapath constructs and the Finite State Machine for Digital Signal Processing, communications and control with the FPGA, external hard core peripherals, custom internal soft core peripherals and the soft core processor. Review materials and references for DSP place the embedded design projects in perspective. This text features the Xilinx Spartan-3E Starter Board, the Xilinx ISE WebPACK EDA, Xilinx LogiCORE blocks and the Xilinx PicoBlaze soft core processor. Embedded Design Using Programmable Gate Arrays is intended as a supplementary text and laboratory manual for undergraduate students in a contemporary course in digital logic and embedded systems. Professionals who have not had an exposure to the fine grained FPGA, the Verilog HDL, an EDA software tool or the new paradigm of the controller and datapath and the FSM will find that this text and the Xilinx Spartan-3E Starter Board provides the necessary experience in this emerging area of electrotechnology.

"Introduction to Embedded System Design Using Field Programmable Gate Arrays" provides a starting point for the use of field programmable gate arrays in the design of embedded systems. The text considers a hypothetical robot controller as an embedded application and weaves around it related concepts of FPGA-based digital design. The book details: use of FPGA vis-à-vis general purpose processor and microcontroller; design using Verilog hardware description language; digital design synthesis using Verilog and Xilinx® SpartanTM 3 FPGA; FPGA-based embedded processors and peripherals; overview of serial data communications and signal conditioning using FPGA; FPGA-based motor drive controllers; and prototyping digital systems using FPGA. The book is a good introductory text for FPGA-based design for both students and digital systems designers. Its end-of-chapter exercises and frequent use of example can be used for teaching or for self-study.

Embedded systems applications that are either mission or safety-critical usually entail low- to mid- production volumes, require the rapid development of specific tasks, which are typically computing intensive, and are cost bounded. The adoption of re-configurable FPGAs in such application domains is constrained to the availability of suitable techniques to guarantee the dependability requirements entailed by critical applications. This book describes the challenges faced by designers when implementing a mission- or safety-critical application using re-configurable FPGAs and it details various techniques to overcome these challenges. In addition to an overview of the key concepts of re-configurable FPGAs, it provides a theoretical description of the failure modes that can cause incorrect operation of re-configurable FPGA-based electronic systems. It also outlines analysis techniques that can be used to forecast such failures and covers the theory behind solutions to mitigate fault effects. This book also reviews current technologies available for building re-configurable FPGAs, specifically SRAM-based technology and Flash-based technology. For each technology introduced, theoretical concepts presented are applied to real cases. Design techniques and tools are presented to develop critical applications using commercial, off-the-shelf devices, such as Xilinx Virtex FPGAs, and Actel ProASIC FPGAs. Alternative techniques based on radiation hardened FPGAs, such as Xilinx SIRF and Atmel ATF280 are also presented. This publication is an invaluable reference for anyone interested in understanding the technologies of re-configurable FPGAs, as well as designers developing critical applications based on these technologies.

This book presents the methodologies and for embedded systems design, using field programmable gate array (FPGA) devices, for the most modern applications. Coverage includes state-of-the-art research from academia and industry on a wide range of topics, including applications, advanced electronic design automation (EDA), novel system architectures, embedded processors, arithmetic, and dynamic reconfiguration.

Many different kinds of FPGAs exist, with different programming technologies, different architectures and different software. Field-Programmable Gate Array Technology describes the major FPGA architectures available today, covering the three programming technologies that are in use and the major architectures built on those programming technologies. The reader is introduced to concepts relevant to the entire field of FPGAs using popular devices as examples. Field-Programmable Gate Array Technology includes discussions of FPGA integrated circuit manufacturing, circuit design and logic design. It describes the way logic and interconnect are implemented in various kinds of FPGAs. It covers particular problems with design for FPGAs and future possibilities for new architectures and software. This book compares CAD for FPGAs with CAD for traditional gate arrays. It describes algorithms for placement, routing and optimization of FPGAs. Field-Programmable Gate Array Technology describes all aspects of FPGA design and development. For this reason, it covers a significant amount of material. Each section is clearly explained to readers who are assumed to have general technical expertise in digital design and design tools. Potential developers of FPGAs will benefit primarily from the FPGA architecture and software discussion. Electronics systems designers and ASIC users will find a background to different types of FPGAs and applications of their use.

Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have emerged as an attractive means of implementing logic circuits, providing instant manufacturing turnaround and negligible prototype costs. They hold the promise of replacing much of the VLSI market now held by mask-programmed gate arrays. FPGAs offer an affordable solution for customized VLSI, over a wide variety of applications, and have also opened up new possibilities in designing reconfigurable digital systems. Field-Programmable Gate Arrays discusses the most important aspects of FPGAs in a textbook manner. It provides the reader with a focused view of the key issues, using a consistent notation and style of presentation. It provides detailed descriptions of commercially available FPGAs and an in-depth treatment of the FPGA architecture and CAD issues that are the subjects of current research. The material presented is of interest to a variety of readers, including those who are not familiar with FPGA technology, but wish to be introduced to it, as well as those who already have an understanding of FPGAs, but who are interested in learning about the research directions that are of current interest.

Due to unique advantages like security, improved testing, and reprogrammability, field programmable gate arrays are making broad inroads in the electronics industry. This comprehensive overview of the topic explains the underlying principles, strengths and limitations of a range of FPGA architectures. Includes abundant references and illustrations.

Over the last decade, the performance capabilities of FPGAs have increased exponentially. Leading vendors such as Xilinx and Altera have improved the functionality of their reconfigurable devices through the inclusion of memory, processors, multi-gigabit transceivers, and multipliers to the basic FPGA architecture. The result is a flexible, high performance processing device able to perform low latency, parallel processing tasks with low power consumption. In order to exploit the obvious benefits of FPGA technology in embedded systems, Nallatech has developed a range of FPGA-centric COTS products based upon the company's modular DIME-II architecture capable of TeraOPS performance. Customers using Nallatech products such as the BenNUEY-PC104+ are able to harness the full capability of advanced Virtex-II and Virtex-II Pro Xilinx FPGAs. With a range of motherboard form factors including PC104plus, VME, PCI and cPCI and a catalogue of plug and play DIME-II modules, embedded system developers can quickly build a flexible, high performance processing system tailored to the requirements of a specific application.