We are currently offering a free series of workshops on a variety of different FPGA related topics.  The workshops are offered on Friday afternoon at 2:30 and usually last 90 minutes.   Seating is on a first come basis. The workshops are held at the FMAC facility at 2350 Alamo Avenue SE, Suite 100. Call us 242-0339 if you need assistance.   Although the flow of the workshops is as shown below, you can enter the sequence at any time. A complete description of each workshop is shown below the schedule.

The workshop schedule for the next month is as follows:

17 October

Chipscope Pro

18 October

Partial Reconfiguration

28 October

CatapultC

FPGA 1 - This workshop is an introduction to programmable logic. It explains what an FPGA is and what it can be used for. It shows the user how to use the Xilinx  ISE and Mentor Graphics Modelsim software packages and how to interpret the process. It explains the differences between the Xilinx and Altera design tools and devices. It uses the Spartan3 Xilinx device for demonstration purposes.

Click here for the source files for FPGA 1. Click here to view the recorded workshop online.

FPGA 2 - This workshop provides a basic understanding of VHDL. It is not meant to be a replacement for the formal ECE-443 VHDL course but is instead an introduction to the language to help bridge the gap between FPGA 1 and the remainder of the courses.

Click here for the source files for FPGA 2.

Intermediate Synthesis Design - This workshop introduces students to the use of multiple process instantiating in a single project. All work is done in VHDL, ISE, and is targeted to the Virtex 2 Pro board.

Partial Reconfiguration - This workshop introduces the process of being able to reconfigure a portion of the FPGA while leaving the remainder working on a dedicated program.

EDK 1 - Introduction to the Embedded Development Kit. This is where the marriage of FPGAs, and microprocessors takes place. This workshop will focus on the basics of EDK  and the virtual Microprocessor Microblaze.

EDK 2 - Introduction to the Embedded Development Kit continues. This workshop will focus on the basics of EDK  and the embedded Microprocessor (the IBM PowerPC).

System Generator (Sysgen) - This workshop will introduce the concepts associated with project design using the Xilinx System Generator tool in the Mathworks Simulink environment.

Chipscope Pro - This workshop introduces the Xilinx Virtual Logic Analyzer tool and how it is used with a Virtex2 Pro device.

IP Cores - Cores allow users to rapidly develop projects using pre verified source files of VHDL that is optimized for a specific device. This workshop will introduce the locations where IP cores can be obtained and how to use simple cores in a small project.