Chapter 4: Developing Your First FPGA Program

This chapter begins with a discussion on the effective use of FPGA devices in real-time embedded systems and continues with a description of the functional elements contained within standard FPGAs. The range of FPGA design languages, including Hardware Description Languages (HDLs), block diagram methods, and popular software programming languages including C and C++, is introduced. The chapter continues with an overview of the FPGA development process and concludes with a complete example of an FPGA development cycle starting with a statement of system requirements and ending with a functional system implemented in a low-cost FPGA development board.

After completing this chapter, you will know how FPGAs can be applied in real-time embedded system architectures and will understand the components that make up an FPGA integrated circuit. You will have learned about the programming languages used in the design of FPGA algorithms and will...