Hello FPGA
Demo Overview
| Libero Features | Demo Board Overview |
Hello FPGA Kit Demo Summary
The demo design is shown in Figure 1: Hello FPGA Demo. It consists of a 28-bit counter clocked by the 50 MHz oscillator on the Hello FPGA board. The counter is reset by pressing the SW1 push-button. The counter outputs drive multiplexers, which in turn drive LEDs on the board. The multiplexers are controlled by push-button SW3. If SW3 is released, the LEDs will toggle a counting pattern. If SW3 is pressed, the LEDs will turn on and off together. This design is implemented using the Verilog® HDL language.
Figure 1: Hello FPGA Demo
Create a Libero® SoC Project
The first step is to create a Libero SoC project. When you create a Libero project, a new folder structure is created to hold your source files and the files that are generated during the design process.
Import a Verilog HDL Description
After creating the Libero project, you will import a Verilog HDL description of the design. Importing a source file copies it into the project. You can also create HDL files from within Libero.
Synthesize the Design
Synthesize the design to convert the HDL description into a netlist containing cells from the SmartFusion® 2 library.
Make Pin Assignments
Make pin assignments to match the assignments on the Hello FPGA board.
Run Place and Route
The place and route step assigns the logic in the synthesis netlist to a position on the die and creates the interconnects.
Generate the Bitstream
The bitstream contains the FPGA configuration for your design. SmartFusion 2 bitstreams are encrypted using AES-256 for design security.
Program the FPGA
After generating the bitstream, you will program the SmartFusion 2 FPGA. Programming configures the FPGA. The PIC32 on the Hello FPGA kit is used for programming.
Video Course
This course is also available in video format at Microchip University as Hello FPGA.