Summary

The main topics of this course are understanding and designing embedded system on a programmable circuit (FPGA). Students will be able to design a camera or a LCD controller on an FPGA in VHDL and will use their controller through a softcore processor.

Content

Keywords

microprocessors, microcontroller, FPGA, embedded systems, SoC, programmable interface

Learning Prerequisites

Required courses

Introduction to computing systems, Logic systems, Computer architecture

Recommended courses

Electronic, Programming (C/C++), Project System On Chip

Important concepts to start the course

• Computer architecture (processor, memory, programmable interfaces)
• Processor Architecture (PC, registers, ALU, instruction decoding, instruction execution)
• Knowledge of C programming language
• Knowledge of VHDL

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, the student must be able to:

• Design an embedded system on an FPGA
• Analyze a specific problem to be solved and propose an FPGA-based system to solve it
• Implement a solution to the given problem
• Realize and simulate the design
• Test the developed solution on an FPGA
• Use complex development tools and hardware debugging tools such as a logic analyzer and an oscilloscope

Transversal skills

• Use a work methodology appropriate to the task.
• Negotiate effectively within the group.
• Set objectives and design an action plan to reach those objectives.
• Continue to work through difficulties or initial failure to find optimal solutions.
• Use both general and domain specific IT resources and tools
• Make an oral presentation.

Teaching methods

Ex cathedra and exercises, laboratories by specific sub-topics, final mini-project

Expected student activities

• Reading and deepening of course concepts
• Preparation of exercises performed in the laboratory
• Writing reports on different labs
• Realization of a final mini-project by group with oral presentation, report and demonstration

Assessment methods

With continuous control.
all labs 30%, mini-projet 20%, oral exam 50%

Supervision

Resources

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI)

No

Bibliography

Teaching notes and suggested reading material on moodle

Specialized datasheets (micro-controllers, FPGA) and standards(ie, SPI, i2c, Amba, Avalon, etc )

Notes/Handbook

Documents and slides provided on moodle

Moodle Link

• http://moodle.epfl.ch/course/view.php?id=1231

Prerequisite for

CS-476 Real-time embedded systems