DRAFT
EE/CS/MedE 175

Advanced Topics in Digital Design with FPGAs and VHDL

9 units (3-6-0)    |  third term
Prerequisites: EE/CS/MedE 125 or equivalent.

Quick review of the VHDL language and RTL concepts. Dealing with sophisticated, multi-dimensional data types in VHDL. Dealing with multiple time domains. Transfer of control versus data between clock domains. Clock division and multiplication. Using PLLs. Dealing with global versus local and synchronous versus asynchronous resets. How to measure maximum speed in FPGAs (for both registered and unregistered circuits). The (often) hard task of time closure. The subtleties of the time behavior in state machines (a major source of errors in large, complex designs). Introduction to simulation. Construction of VHDL testbenches for automated testing. Dealing with files in simulation. All designs are physically implemented using FPGA boards.

Instructor: Staff

Please Note

The online version of the Caltech Catalog is provided as a convenience; however, the printed version is the only authoritative source of information about course offerings, option requirements, graduation requirements, and other important topics.