This course is part of the FPGA Design for Embedded Systems Specialization

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Timothy Scherr

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Part of the Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree
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FPGA Design for Embedded Systems SpecializationUniversity of Colorado Boulder

About this Course

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This course will introduce you to all aspects of development of Soft Processors and Intellectual Property (IP) in FPGA design.  You will learn the extent of Soft Processor types and capabilities, how to make your own Soft Processor in and FPGA, including how to design the hardware and the software for a Soft Processor.  You will learn how to add IP blocks and custom instructions to your Soft Processor.  After the Soft Processor is made, you learn how to verify the design using simulation and an internal logic analyzer.  Once complete you will know how to create and use Soft Processors and IP, a very useful skill. 
This course consists of 4 modules, approximately 1 per week for 4 weeks.   Each module will include an hour or two of video lectures, reading assignments, discussion prompts, and an end of module assessment.

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Course 3 of 4 in the

FPGA Design for Embedded Systems Specialization

Intermediate Level

Practicing engineer or graduate level engineering student.

Approx. 10 hours to complete

English

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What you will learn

Create a Nios II softcore processor hardware design using the Altera development flow
Understand the benefits and steps of implementation of a custom instruction in the Nios II soft processor.
List the types of IP available for FPGAs
Use simulation with ModelSim to verify an FPGA Design

Skills you will gain

Software Design for Softcore Processors
Softcore Processor Design
Programmable Logic Design
Simulation for Verification
Intellectual Property Integration

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Course 3 of 4 in the

FPGA Design for Embedded Systems Specialization

Intermediate Level

Practicing engineer or graduate level engineering student.

Approx. 10 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

3.85/5 (30 Ratings)

Timothy Scherr

Senior Instructor and Professor of Engineering Practice

Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering

83,818 Learners

5 Courses

Offered by

University of Colorado Boulder

Start working towards your Master's degree

This course is part of the 100% online Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from University of Colorado Boulder. If you are admitted to the full program, your courses count towards your degree learning.

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

2 hours to complete

Softcore Processor Development Flow

This module introduces the concept of a soft processor in general, and of hardware design for the soft processor in particular. It presents an overview of soft processors, describing all the different kinds that are available from Xilinx, Altera, Microsemi, and Lattice and then goes into depth about the Nios II soft processor from Altera. The benefits of using soft processors to prevent obsolescence and provide flexibility are explained. The content guides you through a hardware design of the Nios II processor using Qsys, the Altera system design tool. Lastly, design of a custom instruction in the Nios II is presented, showing the versatility of the soft processor in an FPGA.

2 hours to complete

11 videos (Total 86 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

11 videos

Course Introduction1mCreate a Soft Processor1mSoft Processor Advantages8mSoft Processor Flows5mSoft Processor Architectures, Part 111mSoft Processor Architectures, Part II7mNios II Development, Part I6mNios II Development, Part 28mPlatform Designer Live Demo20mNios II: Compilation5mNios II: Customization7m

1 reading

FPGA Softcore Processors and IP Acquisition Assessment Strategy10m

1 practice exercise

Module 1 Quiz30m

Week2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Writing Software for Softcore Processors

This module delves further into the development of soft processors, It describes the soft processor development flow in more detail, including the tools needed to develop software for the soft processor. It then introduces the Eclipse-based IDE for Nios II software development, and then shows how the output of the Qsys design is used to establish a Board Support Package (BSP) for the processor, which is necessary because the processor hardware design can be changed and the BSP software library must support any changes. Use of the BSP editor to configure the processor by programming control registers is demonstrated. Finally, the use of the custom instruction developed in Module 1 is presented, including the use of software macros to complete the implementation of the custom instruction.

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 33 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week3

Week 3

2 hours to complete

IP Acquisition and Integration

2 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 26 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week4

Week 4

4 hours to complete

Introducing ModelSim and Simulation for Verification

As we work on more complex FPGA designs, the challenges to create an error-free design mount exponentially. Having a good grasp of the tools needed to verify correctness of design has become more and more important. After introducing simulation in previous sessions, in this module we will examine simulation with ModelSim in more depth by working through some examples. This will show the utility of simulation for verification and debugging. This module will also describe in some detail how the simulator works and how it achieves concurrency through the use of delta delays. As a final step in the debugging process, the internal logic analyzer SignalTap II is introduced.

4 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 67 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Reviews

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21 reviews

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TOP REVIEWS FROM FPGA SOFTCORE PROCESSORS AND IP ACQUISITION

by BTJun 11, 2021

Must-take Course for Hardware Engineeer. This course provides new concept about NIOS II 32-bit RISC Architecture and How HDL Simulation work

by KSOct 13, 2020

I learned a lot about modelsim that I was really needed.

by HGJan 1, 2021

Well prepared lessons(videos). Concise and complete.

by MBAug 11, 2021

I was hoping to get more lecture material on writing testbench code.

View all reviews

About the FPGA Design for Embedded Systems Specialization

The objective of this course is to acquire proficiency with Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA)s for the purpose of creating prototypes or products for a variety of applications. Although FPGA design can be a complex topic, we will introduce it so that, with a little bit of effort, the basic concepts will be easily learned, while also providing a challenge for the more experienced designer. We will explore complexities, capabilities and trends of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) and Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLD). Conception, design, implementation, and debugging skills will be practiced. We will learn specifics around embedded IP and processor cores, including tradeoffs between implementing versus acquiring IP. Projects will involve the latest software and FPGA development tools and hardware platforms to help develop a broad perspective of the capabilities of various Programmable SoC solutions. Topics include:

Verilog, VHDL, and RTL design for FPGA and CPLD architectures FPGA development tools flow: specify, synthesize, simulate, compile, program and debug Configurable embedded processors and embedded software Use of soft-core and hard-core processors and OS options FPGA System engineering, software-hardware integration, and testing IP development and incorporating 3rd-party IP The capstone course will give the learner the opportunity to practice and implement the concepts covered by building FPGA systems based on low cost evaluation boards.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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FPGA Softcore Processors and IP Acquisition

About this Course

What you will learn

Skills you will gain