Designing with FPGAs and CPLDs
* Choose the right programmable logic devices and development tools * Understand the design, verification, and testing issues * Plan schedules and allocate resources efficiently Choose the right programmable logic devices with this guide to the technolog
Why Read This Book
You should read this book if you want a practical, high-level guide to choosing between CPLDs and FPGAs, understanding design flows, and planning verification and test activities for a programmable-logic project. It emphasizes real-world tradeoffs and project management topics that most HDL tutorials skip.
Who Will Benefit
An engineer or engineering lead who needs to pick devices, set up tool flows, and coordinate FPGA/CPLD development rather than learn low-level HDL coding details.
Level: Intermediate — Prerequisites: Basic digital logic and system design concepts; familiarity with the idea of HDLs (VHDL/Verilog) is helpful but not strictly required.
Key Takeaways
- Select appropriate CPLD or FPGA families based on capacity, speed, power, and cost tradeoffs.
- Map system requirements into device resources and I/O constraints to size and partition your design.
- Plan and execute a practical design flow including entry, synthesis, place-and-route, and timing closure.
- Design and run verification and test strategies, including simulation, in-system testing, and boundary-scan.
- Organize schedules, resources, and risk mitigation for FPGA/CPLD projects to meet delivery targets.
- Prepare for production issues such as configuration memory, packaging, and manufacturing test.
Topics Covered
- Introduction to Programmable Logic: CPLDs and FPGAs
- Architectural Differences: CPLD vs FPGA
- Selecting a Device: Capacity, Speed, Power, and Cost
- Design Entry Methods: Schematic, HDL, and State Machines
- Synthesis, Mapping, and Place-and-Route
- Timing Analysis and Optimization
- Verification: Simulation, Testbenches, and Tools
- Laboratory Testing and In-System Debugging
- I/O, Packaging, and PCB Considerations
- Configuration, Booting, and In-System Programming
- Design for Test, Boundary-Scan, and Manufacturing
- Project Planning, Scheduling, and Resource Allocation
- Case Studies and Practical Design Examples
- Appendices: Vendor Tool Overviews and Glossary
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
Higher-level and project-oriented than hands-on HDL/prototyping books like Pong P. Chu's FPGA Prototyping series; overlaps with Clive Maxfield-style practical guides but places more emphasis on choosing devices and managing the design process.
