Lab 1: Basics of Mapping VHDL to FPGA Hardware

ECSE 325 – Digital Systems

Lab 1: Basics of Mapping VHDL to FPGA Hardware
Overview
In this lab, you will learn the basics of compiling synchronous circuit VHDL description to a target
FPGA.
The goal of this lab exercise is to become familiar with the Quartus tool, especially dealing with
how compiler maps the design onto the FPGA hardware. This introductory exercise contains a
step-by-step tutorial on getting started.
After completing this exercise, you should know how to:
 Start the Altera Quartus II software
 Create the framework for a new project
 Write a VHDL description of a logic circuit
 Understand logic utilization within the FPGA board
 Understand the floorplan and RTL viewer of a circuit
This lab will have a number of items that each lab group must complete, as well as a project
report that will be submitted for each group. The report requirements are described at the end
of the lab description. While there is no explicit demonstration to TAs required in this lab, future
labs will all require well-done demonstration. The demo requirement sheet is attached at the
end of this lab handout.
Exercise Details
Tool Startup and Project Creation
You can start the Quartus tool by selecting the icon on the Windows start menu:
We should be using the version 16.1 as it supports the DE1-SoC lab kits the best.
On startup, you should see the following window (it might slightly differ in your case) for an
empty project. 
Project Creation
You have to first create a project by selecting File-New Project Wizard.
You should then go through a series of windows to create the project, starting with the following
In the second window you should give the project the name: gNN lab1 where NN is replaced with
your 2-digit group number. The working directory for your project will be different than that
shown here, since you should use your network drive for all project files.
Since you do not have a project template, you can proceed with the Empty Project selection
You will add files later, so you should just select “Next”
You should select the Cyclon V device from your board (no board needed for this lab):
You should also include Modelsim-Altera as a third-party tool used in the project
On the last page, you should check whether the project was created properly
You are now ready to create a new VHDL file
VHDL Editor should open next, where you can enter your code
Synchronous Dual Rate Counter in VHDL
You need to create a synchronous 8-bit counter with the following characteristics:
Synchronous reset
Counting by ones or twos features
Should never overcount
If counting by twos, should only have even outputs
Enable counting option
The library and entity declarations are:
library IEEE;
use IEEE.STD_LOGIC_1164.ALL;
use IEEE.NUMERIC_STD.ALL;
entity gXX_lab1 is
 Port ( clk : in std_logic;
 countbytwo : in std_logic;
 rst : in std_logic;
 enable : in std_logic;
 output : out std_logic_vector(7 downto 0));
end gXX_lab1;
where “XX” is replaced by your group number.
Once you have completed your sequential circuit, you can compile your design with Processing-
Start Compilation selection. Once your code is free of errors and compiles well, all the tasks
should be available (turn green on the display)
Chip Planner
By selecting Tools- Chip Planner, you can observe the FPGA utilization and the layout of your
circuit. 
RTL Viewer
A very useful and powerful tool is available at Tools-Netlist Viewers-RTL Viewer that will show
you the logic schematic of your circuit. The figure below is included for illustration purposes, as
you should analyze your schematic and identify the parts corresponding to your code.
Lab Report
At the end of the lab, you should know how to prepare and compile a VHDL code and understand
how it maps to FPGAs. You are required to submit a single PDF file that:
• is written in the standard technical report format
• documents every design choice clearly
• is organized for the grader to easily reproduce your results by running your code
• contains the code that is well-documented and easy to read
• should not cause the struggle for a grader to understand
Necessary parts
• The VHDL code you wrote for the complex counter
• Compilation report (Flow Summary) of your design
• Discussion on the resource utilization of your design (i.e. how many registers are used and
why? What changes would you respect in the resource utilization if you increased the bit
size of the counter?)
• Chip planner screenshot, with used resources highlighted
• RTL view of the circuit, with description of resources 
Grading Sheet
Task     Grade     /Total     Commentsadadsasdasda    
Creating    Project     /10    
VHDL    for    counter     /50    
Resource    Utilization     /20    
Floorplan    &    RTL     /20