The FPGA Programming Handbook

Develop solid FPGA programming skills in SystemVerilog and VHDL by crafting practical projects – VGA controller, microprocessor, calculator, keyboard – and amplify your know-how with insider industry knowledge, all in one handbook.

Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free eBook in PDF format

Key Features

• Explore a wide range of FPGA applications, grasp their versatility, and master Xilinx FPGA tool flow
• Master the intricacies of SystemVerilog and VHDL to develop robust and efficient hardware circuits
• Refine skills with CPU, VGA, and calculator projects for practical expertise in real-world applications

Book Description

In today's tech-driven world, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are the foundation of many modern systems. Transforming ideas into reality demands a deep dive into FPGA architecture, tools, and design principles. This FPGA book is your companion to mastering FPGA development with SystemVerilog and VHDL.

In this edition, you will master both SystemVerilog and VHDL, gaining supreme versatility in FPGA design. These skills open doors to diverse opportunities and projects in the field. Move beyond theory with real-world projects, starting from LED control and progressing to advanced microcontroller applications, which are highly sought after in today's FPGA job market. You will journey from basic Boolean logic circuits to a resource-optimized calculator, showcasing your hardware design prowess. You will elevate your knowledge by designing a Video Graphics Array (VGA) controller, demonstrating your ability to synthesize complex hardware systems.

You can use this handbook as your FPGA development guide, where you will master intricacies, ignite creativity, and emerge with the expertise to craft hardware circuits using SystemVerilog and VHDL. The FPGA Programming Handbook isn't just another technical manual; it's your exhilarating journey to master theory and practice, accelerating your FPGA design skills to soaring new heights.

What you will learn

• Understand the FPGA architecture and its implementation
• Get to grips with writing SystemVerilog and VHDL RTL
• Make FPGA projects using SystemVerilog and VHDL programming
• Work with computer math basics, parallelism, and pipelining
• Explore the advanced topics of AXI and keyboard interfacing with PS/2
• Discover how you can implement a VGA interface in your projects
• Explore the PMOD connectors-SPI and UART, using Nexys A7 board
• Implement an embedded microcontroller in the FPGA

Who this book is for

This FPGA design book is for embedded system developers, engineers, and programmers who want to learn FPGA design using SystemVerilog or VHDL programming from scratch. FPGA designers looking to gain hands-on experience in working on real-world projects will also find this book useful.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to FPGA Architectures
2. FPGA Programming Languages and Tools
3. Combinational Logic
4. Counting Button Presses
5. Let's Build a Calculator
6. FPGA Resources and How to Use Them
7. Math, Parallelism, and Pipelined Design
8. Introduction to AXI
9. Lots of data? MIG and DDR2
10. A Better Way to Display – VGA
11. Bringing It All Together
12. Using the PMOD Connectors – SPI and UART
13. Embedded Microcontrollers Using the Xilinx MicroBlaze
14. Advanced Topics

Frank Bruno is an experienced high-performance design engineer specializing in FPGAs with some ASIC experience. He has experience working for companies like SpaceX, GM Cruise, Belvedere Trading, Allston Trading, and Number Nine. He is currently working as an FPGA engineer for Belvedere Trading.

Guy Eschemann was an Electrical Engineer with over twenty years of experience designing FPGA-based embedded systems for automotive, industrial, medical, aerospace, military, and telecom applications. He was working as an FPGA engineer at plc2 Design GmbH.