MyHDL synthesis: from browser to FPGA in five seconds

Martin Strubel

Still RelevantIntermediate

When it comes to feeding (mostly proprietary) synthesis tools, the most widely supported HDL (hardware design language) is probably plain Verilog, then comes VHDL. The reasons for that are simply based on popularity or the fact that VHDL is a...

Summary

Martin Strubel demonstrates how to use MyHDL to write synthesizable hardware in Python, export Verilog or VHDL, and push a design from a browser-based editor into a vendor synthesis flow in seconds. The reader will learn the end-to-end workflow, toolchain bridging, and practical constraints when taking Python HDL to an FPGA bitstream.

Key Takeaways

Write synthesizable hardware in Python with MyHDL and export clean Verilog or VHDL for vendor tools.
Integrate MyHDL output into vendor synthesis flows (e.g., Vivado/Quartus) and produce FPGA bitstreams rapidly, including browser/CI-based builds.
Apply synthesis-friendly coding patterns and avoid MyHDL constructs that do not translate to hardware.
Validate designs with simulation and lightweight testbenches to catch simulation-to-synthesis mismatches before running the toolchain.

Who Should Read This

FPGA engineers, embedded developers, and educators with some HDL experience who want to prototype, teach, or iterate hardware quickly using Python and browser-based flows.

Still RelevantIntermediate