ΕΡΓΑΣΤΗΡΙΟ ΨΗΦΙΑΚΩΝ ΣΥΣΤΗΜΑΤΩΝ (2024-2025) (ΕCE333)

   The Nexys A7 board is a complete, ready-to-use digital circuit development platform based on the latest Artix-7™ Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) from Xilinx®. With its large, high-capacity FPGA, generous external memories, and collection of USB, Ethernet, and other ports, the Nexys A7 can host designs ranging from introductory combinational circuits to powerful embedded processors. Several built-in peripherals, including an accelerometer, temperature sensor, MEMs digital microphone, a speaker amplifier, and several I/O devices allow the Nexys A7 to be used for a wide range of designs without needing any other components.

 Features

   Artix-7 FPGA

   The Nexys A7 can be purchased with either a XC7A100T or XC7A50T FPGA loaded. These two Nexys A7 product variants are referred to as the Nexys A7-100T and Nexys A7-50T, respectively. When Digilent documentation describes functionality that is common to both of these variants, they are referred to collectively as the “Nexys A7”. When describing something that is only common to a specific variant, the variant will be explicitly called out by its name.

   The only difference between the Nexys A7-100T and Nexys A7-50T is the size of the Artix-7 part. The Artix-7 FPGAs both have the same capabilities, but the XC7100T has about a 2 times larger internal FPGA than the XC750T. The differences between the two variants are summarized below:

   The Nexys A7 is the new name for our popular Nexys 4 DDR board, now available in two FPGA densities! Featuring the same Artix™-7 field programmable gate array (FPGA) from Xilinx®, the Nexys A7 is a ready-to-use digital circuit development platform designed to bring additional industry applications into the classroom environment. The Artix-7 FPGA is optimized for high-performance logic, and offers more capacity, higher performance, and more resources than earlier designs. With its large, high-capacity FPGA and collection of USB, Ethernet, and other ports, the Nexys A7 can host designs ranging from introductory combinational circuits to powerful embedded processors. Several built-in peripherals, including an accelerometer, a temperature sensor, MEMs digital microphone, speaker amplifier, and plenty of I/O devices allow the Nexys A7 to be used for a wide range of designs without needing any other components. The Nexys A7 is compatible with Xilinx's new high-performance Vivado® Design Suite as well as the ISE® toolset, which includes ChipScope™ and EDK. Xilinx offers free WebPACK™ versions of these tool sets, so designs can be implemented at no additional cost.

 Artix-7 Product Advantage

   Artix®-7 devices provide the highest performance-per-watt fabric, transceiver line rates, DSP processing, and AMS integration in a cost-optimized FPGA. Featuring the MicroBlaze™ soft processor and 1,066Mb/s DDR3 support, the family is the best value for a variety of cost and power-sensitive applications including software-defined radio, machine vision cameras, and low-end wireless backhaul.

 Applications

• 64-Channel Portable Ultrasound
• Wireless Backhaul: Point-to-Point 1024QAM Microwave Modem
• Multi-Protocol Machine Vision Camera
• Programmable Logic Controller
• Battery Powered Software Defined Radio

 References

• DS180, 7 Series FPGAs Overview
• DS181, Artix-7 FPGAs Data Sheet: DC and AC Switching Characteristics
• UG470, 7 Series FPGAs Configuration User Guide
• UG471, 7 Series FPGAs SelectIO Resources User Guide
• UG472, 7 Series FPGAs Clocking Resources User Guide
• UG473, 7 Series FPGAs Memory Resources User Guide
• UG474, 7 Series FPGAs Configurable Logic Block User Guide
• UG475, 7 Series FPGAs Packaging and Pinout User Guide
• UG476, 7 Series FPGAs GTX/GTH Transceivers User Guide
• UG479, 7 Series FPGAs DSP48E1 Slice User Guide
• UG480, 7 Series FPGAs and Zynq-7000 All Programmable SoC XADC Dual 12-Bit 1 MSPS ADC User Guide
• UG482, 7 Series FPGAs GTP Transceivers User Guide
• UG483, 7 Series FPGAs PCB Design Guide

   Uploaded Reference Manuals on Course's e-Class.              

 Overview (QuickTake video)

   Vivado Design Suite is a software suite produced by Xilinx for synthesis and analysis of HDL designs, supersending Xilinx ISE with additional features for System on-a Chip (SoC) develpoment and High-Level Synthesis (HLS). It is an Integrated Design Enviroment (IDE) with system-to-IC level tools built on a shared scalable data model and a common debug enviroment. Vivado includes Electronic System Level (ESL) design tools for synthesising and verifying C-based algorithmic IP, standards based packaging of both algorithmoc and RTL IP for reuse; standard based IP stitching and systems integration of all types of system building blocks; and the verification of blocks and system

 High-Level Design

   Vivado IP Integrator provides a graphical and Tcl-based, correct-by construction design development flow. Working at the interface level, design teams can rapidly assemble complex systems that leverage IP created with Vitis™  HLS, Vitis Model Composer, Xilinx IP, Alliance Member IP as well as your own IP. By leveraging the combination of newly improved Vivado IPI and HLS, customers are saving up to 15X in development costs versus an RTL approach.

 Verification

  Meeting the verification challenges of today’s complex devices requires multitudes of tools and technologies at various levels of design. Vivado® Suite delivers these tools and technologies in a cohesive environment for accelerated verification of block- and chip-level designs.

 Implementation

  The Vivado ML design suite with advanced machine learning algorithms delivers the best implementation tools with significant advantages in runtime and performance. With best-in-class compilation tools for synthesis, place, route, and physical optimization, and Xilinx-compiled methodology recommendations, designers can accelerate the implementation phase of their design cycle.

   A free version WebPACK/ML Standard Edition of Vivado provides designers with a limited version of the design enviroment.

   The Xilinx University Program (XUP) enables the use of Xilinx FPGA and Zynq SoC tools and technologies for academic teaching and research.

   Benifits for Students:

  Xilinx designs and develops programmable logic products, including integrated circuits (ICs), software design tools, predefined system functions delivered as intellectual property (IP) cores, design services, customer training, field engineering and technical support.

  Digilent specializes primarily in Xilinx-based FPGA/SoC development boards/kits and portable USB test and measurement devices, all designed to be owned by and used from an engineer's or student's desk. We also offer a variety of expansion modules (Pmods and Zmods) to create flexible I/O options for our other products.

  Intel delivers a broad portofolio of custom logic solutiocs - FPGAs, SoCs, structured ASICs, and CPLDs - together with software tools, intellectual property (IP), embedded processors, customer support, and technical training.

  Microchip Technology offers 8-bit microcontrollers, 16-bit PIC microcontrollers, dsPIC digital signal controllers, 3analog and interface products, security authentication products, timing/communication/real-time clock and calendar products, real-time clock and calendar devices, memory products, wireless products, high-throughput USB and Ethernet interfaces, MOST technology, embedded controllers and super I/O devices, touch, multi-touch and 3D gesture control products, power over Ethernet systems and ICs, and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

  Lattice Semiconductor manufactures field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable mixed-signal and interconnect products, related software and intellectual property (IP).

  OuickLogic is a fabless semiconductor company that develops low power, multi-core MCU, FPGAs and embedded FPGA Intellectual Property (IP), voice and sensor processing.

  Achronix is a fabless semiconductor corporation offering high-performance FPGA solutions. Achronix have both high-performance and high-density standalone FPGAs and embedded FPGA (eFPGA) solutions in high-volume production. Achronix's FPGA and eFPGA IP offerings are further enhanced by ready-to-use PCIe accelerator cards targeting AI, ML, networking and data center applications.

  GOWIN Semiconductor include a broad portfolio of programmable logic devices, design software, intellectual property (IP) cores, reference designs, and development kits.

  Findchips offers a single place to view up to date pricing and inventory from the world's largest distributors.  

  Alldatasheet provides semiconductors and electronic component's datasheets for free.