VHDL (Computer Engineering Series)
A reference which should enable the user to fully master this powerful hardware description language. This is a complete guide to writing VHDL (VHSIC - Very High Speed Integrated Circuits - Hardware Description Language) descriptions for every level of hardware design, from the initial specification to gate level implementation. After introducing each feature of VHDL and providing real-world examples to show how the feature should be properly implemented, the book goes on to walk the reader through a complete top-down design example for a wending machine controller written in VHDL from the algorithmic level to the gate-level description.
Why Read This Book
You will learn VHDL from first principles through complete, real-world examples that take you from algorithmic specification to gate-level implementation. The book is intensely practical: it introduces language features, shows correct usage patterns, and walks a full top-down design (a vending machine) to demonstrate how to apply VHDL in actual hardware projects.
Who Will Benefit
Hardware engineers, FPGA/ASIC designers, and advanced students who need a practical, example-driven reference to write, simulate, and map VHDL designs from behavioral models to gate-level implementations.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Basic digital logic (combinational and sequential circuits), familiarity with boolean algebra and finite state machines, and some programming experience (helpful but not strictly required).
Key Takeaways
- Describe hardware at multiple abstraction levels by writing correct behavioral, RTL, and structural VHDL
- Model concurrency, signals, and event-driven simulation semantics to build accurate testbenches
- Design and implement finite-state machines and data-path/control architectures in VHDL
- Apply top-down design methodology to move from specification to gate-level netlists
- Interpret synthesis-related language constructs and translate VHDL models to implementable hardware
- Create reusable packages, libraries, and modular designs that scale to larger systems
Topics Covered
- Introduction: VHDL and Hardware Description Languages
- Lexical Elements, Data Types, and Basic Language Constructs
- Concurrent Statements and Modeling Structural Designs
- Sequential Statements and Process Modeling
- Modeling Styles: Behavioral, Dataflow, and Structural
- Signals, Variables, and Event-Driven Simulation
- Timing, Delays, and Testbench Development
- Design Methodology: Top-Down Design and Hierarchy
- Finite-State Machines and Control Structures
- Synthesis Considerations and Gate-Level Implementation
- Complete Design Example: Vending Machine — Algorithm to Gate Level
- Packages, Libraries, and Reuse
- Appendices: Language Reference and Suggested Reading
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
Similar in scope to Peter Ashenden's 'The Designer's Guide to VHDL' but more example-driven and tutorial in tone—Ashenden is the more formal, up-to-date language reference while Perry emphasizes hands-on design walkthroughs.
