Re: Getting started with VHDL and Verilog

On 2008-05-06, jraj.thakkar@gmail.com <jraj.thakkar@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> My background is in Software Engineering C,C++,Java and Unix. I am
> getting started with VHDL and Verilog. What is the good way/books/
> websites/training to get started? I have B.S. and M.S. in Computer
> Engineering. Also, what is the learning curve in VHDL and Verilog?

Have you ever taken a course in digital hardware? If not you should
probably read a little bit about that before doing anything else.
Unfortunately I don't really know of good books in English in this
area because we are mainly teaching these subjects in Swedish.

Once you know a little bit about digital hardware you can draw a
little schematic and translate it into VHDL or Verilog. The learning
curve of VHDL and Verilog is actually quite low _if_ you know what
hardware your are planning to design.

May I ask why you are interested in learning about VHDL or Verilog?
Do you have a particular project in mind? Hobby or professional
interest?

/Andreas

Hi all,

My background is in Software Engineering C,C++,Java and Unix. I am
getting started with VHDL and Verilog. What is the good way/books/
websites/training to get started? I have B.S. and M.S. in Computer
Engineering. Also, what is the learning curve in VHDL and Verilog?

Please let me know.

Thanks
Jay

Jay,

I received a free copy of:

"FPGA prototyping By VHDL Examples" by Chu.

There will be a verilog version soon, too.

A easy to read book, designed around the Digilentinc.com Spartan pcb for
learning (he is a professor in Ohio).

There are a lot of books out there, so I would encourage others to
comment on ones they have actually read (like I did).

Austin

On May 6, 2:35=A0pm, austin <aus...@xilinx.com> wrote:
> Jay,
>
> I received a free copy of:
>
> "FPGA prototyping By VHDL Examples" by Chu.
>
> There will be a verilog version soon, too.
>
> A easy to read book, designed around the Digilentinc.com Spartan pcb for
> learning (he is a professor in Ohio).
>
> There are a lot of books out there, so I would encourage others to
> comment on ones they have actually read (like I did).
>
> Austin

Thanks for the response. I will try to get hold of some good books.

On May 6, 10:54=A0am, Andreas Ehliar <ehliar-nos...@isy.liu.se> wrote:
> On 2008-05-06, jraj.thak...@gmail.com <jraj.thak...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Hi all,
>
> > My background is in Software Engineering C,C++,Java and Unix. I am
> > getting started with VHDL and Verilog. What is the good way/books/
> > websites/training to get started? I have B.S. and M.S. in Computer
> > Engineering. Also, what is the learning curve in VHDL and Verilog?
>
> Have you ever taken a course in digital hardware? If not you should
> probably read a little bit about that before doing anything else.
> Unfortunately I don't really know of good books in English in this
> area because we are mainly teaching these subjects in Swedish.
>
> Once you know a little bit about digital hardware you can draw a
> little schematic and translate it into VHDL or Verilog. The learning
> curve of VHDL and Verilog is actually quite low _if_ you know what
> hardware your are planning to design.
>
> May I ask why you are interested in learning about VHDL or Verilog?
> Do you have a particular project in mind? Hobby or professional
> interest?
>
> /Andreas

It's just a professional interest/curiousity. Just wanted to get hang
of hardware design.

jraj.thakkar@gmail.com wrote:

> My background is in Software Engineering C,C++,Java and Unix. I am
> getting started with VHDL and Verilog. What is the good way/books/
> websites/training to get started? I have B.S. and M.S. in Computer
> Engineering. 

If you are excited about flashing the lights on
a physical circuit board, start with that,
and run all the demos.

If you are excited by writing clean synthesis code,
testing it algorithmically,
and having it work the first time,
start with a verilog/vhdl simulator.

Also, what is the learning curve in VHDL and Verilog?

About the same as C, C++, Java or Unix.

      -- Mike Treseler

jraj.thakkar@gmail.com wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> My background is in Software Engineering C,C++,Java and Unix. I am
> getting started with VHDL and Verilog. What is the good way/books/
> websites/training to get started? I have B.S. and M.S. in Computer
> Engineering. Also, what is the learning curve in VHDL and Verilog?

If you are interested in processors, have a look at:

"Digital Design and Computer Architecture" by D.M. Harris & S. L. 
Harris, Morgan Kaufmann

After reviewing digital logic fundamentals they go on with showing the 
synthesisable subset of VHDL and Verilog, side by side. Then they talk 
about processor architectures and walk you through a simplified MIPS32 
processor implementation.

The book is very easy to read.

Cheers,

Guenter

Once you get the simple stuff down and learn the development environment 
(the hardest part), I recommend, "Advanced Digital Design with the Verilog 
HDL" by Ciletti.  The book is geared towards the lower level of digital design, 
but quite in-depth.


---Matthew Hicks


> Hi all,
> 
> My background is in Software Engineering C,C++,Java and Unix. I am
> getting started with VHDL and Verilog. What is the good way/books/
> websites/training to get started? I have B.S. and M.S. in Computer
> Engineering. Also, what is the learning curve in VHDL and Verilog?
> 
> Please let me know.
> 
> Thanks
> Jay