Intel® FPGA Academic Program Teaching Materials

<Back to Teaching Materials
 

Digital Logic

  

Summary

Gain an understanding of the design of digital logic circuits using Intel® FPGA devices. Topics covered include:

  • Describing hardware using Verilog or VHDL
  • Designing circuits to perform arithmetic calculations
  • Building complex designs from multiple functions and Intel® FPGA IP

By the end of this course, students will have practical knowledge of:

  • Combinational and sequential logic
  • Key logic elements such as storage, clocks, and memory
  • How to implement finite state machines in circuitry
  • How to write, compile, synthesize, and download hardware designs for FPGAs

Professors: To request solutions, source material, software licenses, and teaching hardware, enroll in the Intel® FPGA Academic Program.


Instructor Notes

  • Prerequisite topics can be taught in the lecture sessions leading up to each lab session.
  • Any Terasic DE-Series FPGA development kit can be used with these exercises.

Teaching Hardware

 

  

Prerequisites

  • Fundamentals of electronics
  • Boolean logic
  • Any programming language

     

Recommended Tools & Tutorials


This .zip file contains all the Verilog and VHDL files for all the labs listed.

Lab 1: Switches, Lights, and Multiplexers

Get an introduction to circuit design using a hardware description language.

  • Set up and configure a project.
  • Connect simple input and output devices.
  • Learn about select circuits and how to build different size multiplexers.
  • Apply skills to write words to seven-segment displays.
  • Implement and test circuits on an FPGA device.

Download Verilog  Download VHDL

Lab 2: Numbers and Displays

Build on the previous exercises by learning about simple encoding, arithmetic, and combinational logic.

  • Convert binary inputs to decimal outputs.
  • Add two 4-bit numbers using a full adder.
  • Learn how if-else statements can be used to simplify the description of your hardware design.

Download Verilog  Download VHDL

Lab 3: Latches, Flip-Flops, and Registers

This exercise introduces storage elements and sequential logical.

  • Use logic gates, Boolean expressions, or behavioral-style code to implement the same designs.
  • Build and simulate gated RS latch, gated D latch, and D flip-flop circuits.
  • Analyze how the compiler maps your designs to the FPGA hardware.

Download Verilog  Download VHDL

Lab 4: Counters

Use skills learned in the previous exercises to build counters.

  • Write and instantiate single-bit modules to build an 8-bit synchronous counter.
  • Use registers to specify a 16-bit counter.
  • Analyze and compare the differences in implementation.

Download Verilog  Download VHDL

Lab 5: Timers and Real-Time Clocks

Explore the use of clocks in timed circuits.

  • Use parameters to instantiate counters of different sizes.
  • Design a real-time clock using counters and a 50 MHz clock signal.
  • Create a Morse code translator using multiple counters, clocks, and inputs.

Download Verilog  Download VHDL

Lab 6: Adders, Subtractors, and Multipliers

Examine arithmetic circuits that perform calculations.

  • Implement an accumulator circuit with carry-out and overflow signals.
  • Modify the accumulator to also add and subtract numbers.
  • Compare multiplier architectures using a sequence of additions versus an adder tree.

Download Verilog  Download VHDL

Lab 7: Finite State Machines

Get an introduction to finite state machines (FSMs) and their design in digital logic.

  • Manually derive the logic expressions needed for each state flip-flop in an FSM.
  • Use a case statement to describe the state table for the same FSM.
  • Implement a morse-code encoder using an FSM.

Download Verilog  Download VHDL

Lab 8: Memory Blocks

Practice using memory resources that exist within the FPGA device.

  • Use IP libraries to instantiate 1-port and 2-port RAM.
  • Learn different methods to define memory in a hardware description language.
  • Develop a memory initialization file (MIF) to test your designs.
  • Use switches and hex displays to demonstrate read and write functionality.

Download Verilog  Download VHDL

Lab 9: A Simple Processor

Use concepts from earlier labs to implement a simple processor.

  • Build a simple processor using registers, a multiplexer, an adder and subtractor unit, and a control unit.
  • Study how instructions are encoded and used to control the processor.
  • Add a memory module and counter to your processor.

Download Verilog  Download VHDL

Lab 10: An Enhanced Processor

Implement an enhanced processor using the skills learned from Lab 9.

  • Add functionality so that your processor can perform read and write operations using memory or other devices.
  • Create an output module for your processor to drive seven-segment displays.
  • Connect an input module for your processor to read and store the state of switches on the board.

Download Verilog  Download VHDL

Lab 11: Implement Algorithms in Hardware

Use algorithmic state machine (ASM) charts to implement algorithms as hardware circuits.

  • Build a bit-counting circuit consisting of finite state machine (FSM) and datapath circuits.
  • Create an ASM chart for a binary search algorithm.
  • Implement the FSM and datapath for the binary search algorithm in hardware.

Download Verilog  Download VHDL

Lab 12: Basic Digital Signal Processing

Learn the basics of signal processing in hardware using an audio codec. 

  • Connect an audio input (microphone) and output (speakers or headphones) to your FPGA development kit.
  • Modify a provided starter kit circuit design to pass audio from the input to output.
  • Implement an averaging finite impulse response (FIR) filter to remove noise from the input audio.
  • Experiment with the filter parameters to further remove background noise.

Download Verilog  Download VHDL