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Getting Your Kids Started In FPGA Programming

The joy of programming is not just for those in high school or college anymore. Getting your kids started in FPGA programming at a younger age can be fun and rewarding. A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) in median form is a powerful machine on the level of some expensive video cards. This means learning to program one of these FPGA boards at an early age can be a valuable asset.

Kids Love To Play Video Games

What child does not have a favorite video game these days? Since most kids are naturally curious, it makes sense to mix their love of video games with their curiosity to help them in the future.

One tool that can be used to do this is an FPGA board made by Xilinx. Programming a Xilinx FPGA could be a helpful first project to get your kids started off on the right foot. In this digital age where things are becoming more and more automated, learning to program is still a valuable skill. You yourself know that doing things you like to do makes it seem less like a job. It can be this way for your children as well.

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Why Use A Xilinx FPGA Board?

One of the reasons to choose a Xilinx board is they are the world’s leading provider of FPGAs. Some consider them the inventor of the FPGA. Thanks to their engineering prowess, they have their boards running on NASA equipment in space. Xilinx is also pioneering in other areas, such as new types of video in the cloud.

With the recent uptick in cloud computing, the boards from Xilinx are a perfect fit. They use less energy and can be reprogrammed if needed. This is where it makes sense to learn to program these boards at an early age. Until distributed computing takes hold, using the cloud method to provide services to the world is going to be the norm. Xilinx has had this area under their control for some years. It is therefore natural to consider them in your child’s first project.

Getting The Right Board For The Programming Project

One of the first things to do to get started programming a Xilinx FPGA board is to find a compatible purchase. There are plenty to choose from, but to start off, choose one that will do small programs. One popular first program to learn is to blink an LED off and on. There are smaller FPGA development boards that cost in the area of $55 to $80 dollars that will be able to do this task. The good news is that training your child in FPGA programming is not going to break the bank. These boards also have peripherals that are available to be bought later if your child wants to learn more. The added parts will be able to expand the board’s usefulness into more advanced projects.

Some basic features you should look for are:

  • Zero power usage when in hibernation.
  • Low power 3.2 Gigabyte-per-second serial transceivers.
  • High pin-count to logic ratio.
  • Plenty of input-output pins for user-defined purposes.

What Language To Learn To Make The Xilinx Board Work

Whether building a clock, an LED blinker or a Gameboy emulator, the actual programming is done in Verilog or VHDL. Verilog and VHDL are hardware description languages. Since an FPGA is able to have its hardware connections modified by the user there must be a place to input those changes. This is done using Verilog or VHDL. The Verilog language looks close to the C language used in various software of the world. The VHDL language is strictly controlled and more complex. It would be wise for a beginner to start programming a Xilinx FPGA using the Verilog language instead of VHDL.

Using Vivado Design Suite To Begin

Getting your kids starting in the world of FPGA programming will involve a program called Vivado Design Suite. This is a freely downloadable program that is specially designed for Xilinx boards. It is found online at the Xilinx official site. The Vivado Design software supports the Verilog language mentioned above. Other programming standards that Vivado Design supports are the popular C++ and the C programming language. This download will require seven to ten gigabytes of hard drive space. It has been created for Windows and Linux computers. There is no word for support on Apple computers.

The Fun Begins

After getting the FPGA board and downloading the Vivado Design Suite it is time to enjoy. This is where coding begins. Opening the Vivado software your child should get familiar with the different windows. After this step, it is time to start the first project. There are different tutorials online will come in handy. Your computer will connect to the FPGA using a Xilinx platform cable or a USB cable. Using the Vivado software, the “block” method of joining the hardware in the FPGA in specific configurations will produce different outputs on the FPGA board. That is, the Vivado program will talk to the FPGA card, as your child connects blocks on the computer screen.

What Can You Create Using An FPGA?

The first few days of learning to program an FPGA will need to be limited to simple projects. Things like LED flashers will be easy. As time goes by the next projects could be a billboard sequencer, motor controllers, display controllers, modules that create text and the list goes on. Some people have gone as far as making antique Gameboy emulators using the economical FPGA cards mentioned above. There are lessons for recreating the video game Pong. The FPGA board is a great building block for many projects. With extra expansion modules, a Xilinx board will do a plethora of fun things.

A Bright Future In Programming FPGA Boards

Xilinx is not taking a back seat in the development of new items. This should be a source of peace to you as a parent. Why? This technology will not be replaced any time soon. Technology, in general, is changing at a rapid pace, but FPGA development is maintaining a steady stream of attention. This means the future for an FPGA developer is bright. To learn is not expensive. 

         


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