FPGA Single LED Demos: FPGA board for a good ideas/suggestions

Hi all

I am looking for ideas for: "FPGA Single LED Demos", The requirements for 
the demo Application are following:

* Display visible 'sign of live' or 'self-test passed' message
* Impemented in FPGA Vendor neutral HDL
* <= 3000 LUT
* <= 4KB of Block RAM
* uncalibrated (+-50%) high frequency oscillator
* 1 user LED for display

The Demo application should have some sort of LED visible 'message' to 
indicate the demo is working or has passed internal self test code. There is 
no user interface byeound one single LED.

Current list of Applications
==================
1) LED Blink (MSB of counter) - VHDL
2) LED Blink (MSB of counter) - Verilog
3) LED Blink (MSB of counter) - MyHDL (Python)
4) LED Fade with PWM (waveform from counter bits)
5) LED Fade with Delta-Sigma DAC (waveform from counter bits)
6) LED Fade with DDS and Delta-Sigma (waveform from ROM Table)
7) PacoBlaze LED Blink with Assembler Program
8) PacoBlaze LED Blink with C Program
9) SPoC(bit-serial-processor) LED Blink with Assembler Program
8) AVR like MCU LED Blink with Basic Program
10) PIC like MCU LED Blink with Assembler Program
11) C16 (16 Bit CPU) LED Blink with C Program
12) LED Blink with 32-bit Programmable Micro-Sequencer
13) Frequency Measurement demo (use stop watch and calculator)
14) ? your idea ?

The above is my current list of demo applications, I am considering some 
more soft-core CPU's, but all those demos would be very similar to the 
existing soft-core demos. So any ideas to demo some other functionality are 
welcome.

Best ideas can be rewarded with an FPGA evaluation board (with your idea 
pre-programmed). Suggestions a-la "soft-core cpu acme/xyz" will not count.

Antti

Hi Antti,

What about morse code to give the status?

I should have some code in VHDL which I will dig out and send to you,

Regards,
Hans
www.ht-lab.com

Antti Lukats wrote:
> Hi all
> 
> I am looking for ideas for: "FPGA Single LED Demos", The requirements for 
> the demo Application are following:
> 
> * Display visible 'sign of live' or 'self-test passed' message
> * Impemented in FPGA Vendor neutral HDL
> * <= 3000 LUT
> * <= 4KB of Block RAM
> * uncalibrated (+-50%) high frequency oscillator
> * 1 user LED for display
> 
> The Demo application should have some sort of LED visible 'message' to 
> indicate the demo is working or has passed internal self test code. There is 
> no user interface byeound one single LED.
> 
> Current list of Applications
> ==================
> 1) LED Blink (MSB of counter) - VHDL
> 2) LED Blink (MSB of counter) - Verilog
> 3) LED Blink (MSB of counter) - MyHDL (Python)
> 4) LED Fade with PWM (waveform from counter bits)
> 5) LED Fade with Delta-Sigma DAC (waveform from counter bits)
> 6) LED Fade with DDS and Delta-Sigma (waveform from ROM Table)
> 7) PacoBlaze LED Blink with Assembler Program
> 8) PacoBlaze LED Blink with C Program
> 9) SPoC(bit-serial-processor) LED Blink with Assembler Program
> 8) AVR like MCU LED Blink with Basic Program
> 10) PIC like MCU LED Blink with Assembler Program
> 11) C16 (16 Bit CPU) LED Blink with C Program
> 12) LED Blink with 32-bit Programmable Micro-Sequencer
> 13) Frequency Measurement demo (use stop watch and calculator)
> 14) ? your idea ?
> 
> The above is my current list of demo applications, I am considering some 
> more soft-core CPU's, but all those demos would be very similar to the 
> existing soft-core demos. So any ideas to demo some other functionality are 
> welcome.
> 
> Best ideas can be rewarded with an FPGA evaluation board (with your idea 
> pre-programmed). Suggestions a-la "soft-core cpu acme/xyz" will not count.
> 
> Antti
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 

Antti Lukats wrote:

> Hi all
> 
> I am looking for ideas for: "FPGA Single LED Demos", The requirements for 
> the demo Application are following:
> 
> * Display visible 'sign of live' or 'self-test passed' message
> * Impemented in FPGA Vendor neutral HDL
> * <= 3000 LUT
> * <= 4KB of Block RAM
> * uncalibrated (+-50%) high frequency oscillator
> * 1 user LED for display
> 
> The Demo application should have some sort of LED visible 'message' to 
> indicate the demo is working or has passed internal self test code. There is 
> no user interface byeound one single LED.
> 
> Current list of Applications
> ==================
> 1) LED Blink (MSB of counter) - VHDL
> 2) LED Blink (MSB of counter) - Verilog
> 3) LED Blink (MSB of counter) - MyHDL (Python)
> 4) LED Fade with PWM (waveform from counter bits)
> 5) LED Fade with Delta-Sigma DAC (waveform from counter bits)
> 6) LED Fade with DDS and Delta-Sigma (waveform from ROM Table)
> 7) PacoBlaze LED Blink with Assembler Program
> 8) PacoBlaze LED Blink with C Program
> 9) SPoC(bit-serial-processor) LED Blink with Assembler Program
> 8) AVR like MCU LED Blink with Basic Program
> 10) PIC like MCU LED Blink with Assembler Program
> 11) C16 (16 Bit CPU) LED Blink with C Program
> 12) LED Blink with 32-bit Programmable Micro-Sequencer
> 13) Frequency Measurement demo (use stop watch and calculator)
> 14) ? your idea ?
> 
> The above is my current list of demo applications, I am considering some 
> more soft-core CPU's, but all those demos would be very similar to the 
> existing soft-core demos. So any ideas to demo some other functionality are 
> welcome.

  Most obvious is to extend to a BiColour LED, Driven from 2 pins, so
that you can generate : Pure RED, Modulated RED (OE), Pure GREEN,
Modulated GREEN (OE) and Colour Modulated (PWM %R/100-% G)
Control lines are : R, R.oe, G, G.oe

  Then at eye-ball rates, you can signal something over 4 states, without
needing long dividers.

[Well, yes, this is only partially vendor neutral: it works on all those 
vendors who actually gave this some thought, and installed a BiColour LED ]

  My preferred modulation is PDM (Rate Multiplier), rather than PWM : 
PDM uses the least resource in CPLDs, and filters better in DAC 
applications.


  Also not on your list, is a RC5 / manchester Encoded LED modulate.
Target the std IR-Remote Receivers, perhaps with an IR led in Parallel
if the RED energy is too low to activate a NearBy - StdIR RX unit.

  That allows actual BIT serial (status flags) info to be sent, into a 
simple receiver.

  One-Wire encoding is another way to send Freq tolerant information,
in an easily decoded manner.


> Best ideas can be rewarded with an FPGA evaluation board (with your idea 
> pre-programmed). Suggestions a-la "soft-core cpu acme/xyz" will not count.

-jg

Antti Lukats <antti@openchip.org> wrote:
>Hi all
>I am looking for ideas for: "FPGA Single LED Demos", The requirements for 
>the demo Application are following:

>* Display visible 'sign of live' or 'self-test passed' message
>* Impemented in FPGA Vendor neutral HDL
>* <= 3000 LUT
>* <= 4KB of Block RAM
>* uncalibrated (+-50%) high frequency oscillator
>* 1 user LED for display

>The Demo application should have some sort of LED visible 'message' to 
>indicate the demo is working or has passed internal self test code. There is 
>no user interface byeound one single LED.

*) RS232 signaling sending something like "POST ok".
   Then you could just direct it to any laptop with ir-serial. Possibly IrDA.

*) Morse code.

*) Maybe 10 Mbps ethernet is doable. Guess not thoe :-)

*) With an external mirror+stepper you could reflect the led light onto a
   paper and draw something.

With a more stable oscillator possibilities vastly increase.

contact at pb (a) ludd . luth DOT se

Hans wrote:

> Hi Antti,
> 
> What about morse code to give the status?
> 
> I should have some code in VHDL which I will dig out and send to you,
> 

Best to then blink the Morse dots using PWM at 1KHz and 50% duty cycle so
that you can also hear it with a solar cell and a piezo earpiece ;-)

Ben

"Hans" <hans64@ht-lab.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag 
news:h_%4g.4329$ca3.3138@newsfe5-gui.ntli.net...
> Hi Antti,
>
> What about morse code to give the status?
>
> I should have some code in VHDL which I will dig out and send to you,
>
> Regards,
> Hans
> www.ht-lab.com

Hi Hans,

yes VHDL based morse message could be added, I think I had something some 
while ago, but not sure if I can dig that out, so if you find I will look 
it.

I have been actve on short-waves ages ago so Morse of course popped up in my 
mind too, well its of course easier to implement with some small soft-core 
processor, but plain HDL version could also be a nice example

Antti 

.-  -.  -  -  .-

.--  .  .-.  .    -.--  ---  ..-    .-    ....  .-  --     ..--..

.-  ..-  -....  ...-  ..-

"Austin Lesea" <austin@xilinx.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag 
news:e32s8f$cvm2@xco-news.xilinx.com...
> .-  -.  -  -  .-
>
> .--  .  .-.  .    -.--  ---  ..-    .-    ....  .-  --     ..--..
>
> .-  ..-  -....  ...-  ..-
>
ROTFL !

i did think f**** windows has trouble refreshing screen, so I closed and 
opened this email many times.
in the hope it would display the fonts properly - morse code !!!

A N T T A
W E R E   Y O U  A H  A M ?
A U 6 V U

uh? I probably need morse-classes to decode the message properly :)

Antti 

"Ben Twijnstra" <btwijnstra@gmail.com> schrieb im Newsbeitrag 
news:4e4cb$4454abc7$d52e23a9$4555@news.chello.nl...
> Hans wrote:
>
>> Hi Antti,
>>
>> What about morse code to give the status?
>>
>> I should have some code in VHDL which I will dig out and send to you,
>>
>
> Best to then blink the Morse dots using PWM at 1KHz and 50% duty cycle so
> that you can also hear it with a solar cell and a piezo earpiece ;-)
>
> Ben

HAHA - I was going to reply that the LED is SMD 0603 so connecting beeper in 
parallel would not make sense, but then hum solar cell !!

hum, interesting would it actually work? I bet not the solar cell possible 
would not deliver AC or would it? I am almost tempted to test!

well the LED on board will be possible cheapest one available (around 0.01 
USD from HK) so it will not have many mcd, but the LED + solar cell idea is 
something that could be even used for some weird application.

Antti

"Jim Granville" <no.spam@designtools.co.nz> schrieb im Newsbeitrag 
news:44548f48@clear.net.nz...
> Antti Lukats wrote:
>
>> Hi all
>>
>> I am looking for ideas for: "FPGA Single LED Demos", The requirements for 
>> the demo Application are following:
>>
>> * Display visible 'sign of live' or 'self-test passed' message
>> * Impemented in FPGA Vendor neutral HDL
>> * <= 3000 LUT
>> * <= 4KB of Block RAM
>> * uncalibrated (+-50%) high frequency oscillator
>> * 1 user LED for display
>>
>> The Demo application should have some sort of LED visible 'message' to 
>> indicate the demo is working or has passed internal self test code. There 
>> is no user interface byeound one single LED.
>  Most obvious is to extend to a BiColour LED, Driven from 2 pins, so
> that you can generate : Pure RED, Modulated RED (OE), Pure GREEN,
> Modulated GREEN (OE) and Colour Modulated (PWM %R/100-% G)
> Control lines are : R, R.oe, G, G.oe
>
dual color SMD led costs 10 times as much as single color and the layout
isnt so standard and I have some pre-series PCBs with only one LED
already. Sure dual color LED would have more possibilities for visual 
effects

>  Then at eye-ball rates, you can signal something over 4 states, without
> needing long dividers.
>
> [Well, yes, this is only partially vendor neutral: it works on all those 
> vendors who actually gave this some thought, and installed a BiColour 
> LED ]
>
>  My preferred modulation is PDM (Rate Multiplier), rather than PWM : PDM 
> uses the least resource in CPLDs, and filters better in DAC applications.
>
could you elaborate on this? I had delta-sigma DAC already on my list
that is pulse density modulation - but you are referring to something else?

>  Also not on your list, is a RC5 / manchester Encoded LED modulate.
> Target the std IR-Remote Receivers, perhaps with an IR led in Parallel
> if the RED energy is too low to activate a NearBy - StdIR RX unit.
>
>  That allows actual BIT serial (status flags) info to be sent, into a 
> simple receiver.
>
>  One-Wire encoding is another way to send Freq tolerant information,
> in an easily decoded manner.
>

Actually one-wire comm requires known frequency reference better than
I can count for, also in my  requirements was no other interface (than LED)

>> Best ideas can be rewarded with an FPGA evaluation board (with your idea 
>> pre-programmed). Suggestions a-la "soft-core cpu acme/xyz" will not 
>> count.
>
> -jg
>
I was possible giving not enough information at first place - the module in 
question
has actually 3 interfaces with 6+6+4 (shared with JTAG pins in parallel) 
I/O's
one of them can be used for block transfers to host with up to 6MByte/S

However any communication with host would require some software on the
host what may not exist for the host platform, so I was looking for demos
that can be 'tested' for simple 'it blinks, &#4294967295;t works' in the case we assume
there host communication is unavailable - similarly any demos requirying
additional hardware ae beyound the scope, dual color, tri-color led
buzzer, IR tranceiver are all things that could be used, - with extra
add-on modules.

I was more looking for more ideas to demonstrate things that an
FPGA can do, it could be some algorithm that is processed once
or in a look and if the self check result is ok then blink a led.

Just to have people a way to 'seeing is beliving' want to test
this or that, download this, when LED blinks then it is signal
that this or that works - in real hardware.

Antti