A teaching strategy for developing application specific architectures for FPGAs

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2008

Authors

João M. P. Cardoso (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: International Journal of Engineering Education

Vol. 24 No. 4

Pages: 833-842

ISSN: 0949-149X

Publisher: Dublin Institute of Technology Tempus Publications

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 5 Citations

ISI Web of Science

Scopus - 6 Citations

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Electrical engineering, Electronic engineering, Information engineering

CORDIS: Technological sciences > Engineering

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-004-3ND

Abstract (EN): This paper presents an approach to teaching design of non-programmable application-specific architectures using VHDL, logic and physical synthesis tools and FPGAs. The approach relies on mini-projects that resemble typical problems that students may face in real-life concerning the design of application-specific architectures. The teaching approach presented in this paper supports the incremental learning of both VHDL and the tools used. as the projects are being developed, i.e., students are motivated to acquire skills at the pace at which those skills are required to advance project development. The results so far are very encouraging. Even students with little knowledge of hardware design and embedded systems have succeeded in their assignments. Feedback obtained front students reveals the suitability of certain aspects of the approach and the major difficulties they have faced.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 10