Access to FPGA CAD Software
The labs (starting with Lab 4) in this course depends on the use of CAD
software to implement circuits on a programmable logic device. We will be
using Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) from Altera, and Altera's
Quartus II CAD software. This is one of the best software packages
available in industry today and is widely used.
Prior to lab 4, you should do the following:
- Start early
This lab may require some extra preparation time before the lab depending
on how much Verilog you remember.
- Read the tutorial on Verilog and Quartus II
A copy of the tutorials can be found on Prof. J. Rose's homepage:
Tutorial 1 ,
Tutorial 2 , and
Tutorial 3 .
- Using Quartus II
- A version of Quartus II 4.1 is installed on the PCs in the
design center (SFB520). There are also several stations equipped with an
older version of the UltraGizmo board. The older boards use a 10K70
FPGA instead of a 10K100 FPGA. The functionality of the older UltraGizmo
boards is almost identical to the newer boards so the design center is a
great place to try out your designs before you come to the lab.
- If you do use the Design Center you will need another version of the wrapper files
( wrapper10k70.qpf , wrapper10k70.csf , and
wrapper10k70.v , or
wrapper10k70.vhd ), since the Design Center has the older boards.
- You can obtain a free copy of Quartus II from
Altera . Follow the instructions on the page to download and
install the software.
- Do your pre-lab
Make sure that you test/simulate your designs on Quartus II before coming
to the lab. It is far easier to detect design errors on the simulator.
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