Boolean Board Digital Logic Course#

Credits#

The slides are based on the page Boolean Board Digital Logic Course

Goals#

Introduction and overview

Course goals#

  • Understand digital circuits and design methods

  • Apply your knowledge on a modern integrated design environment: Xilinx Vivado

The Boolean Board#

  • Your playground for learning about digital digital design

  • Your launchpad for your final project

Exercise 1

Take about five minutes and explore what the board is capable of

Vivado#

Integrated design environment. Includes:

  • Design, e.g., connecting components together

  • Simulation

  • Synthesis, for creating hardware from HDL, similar to compiling a software

  • Logic analyzer

Instructions on the Realdigital website recommend you to install packages that we won’t need for working with the Boolean board. My recommendation is:

Download the installer package which is about 250 MB. Note that the installation requires you to create an account

Then choose the following:

  • Product: Vivado (not Vitis)

  • Edition: Vivado ML Standard

  • Customization:

    • Design Tools -> ✅ Vivado Design Suite

    • Devices -> Production devices -> 7 Series -> ✅ Spartan-7

Leave the rest deactivated if possible.

Design Projects#

  • The projects contain relevant theory, which are behind the 🟩 buttons. Skip over if you are already cognizant of these concepts.

  • You should do at least the Requirements. Challenges are optional.

  • You are encouraged to go off-script, try your ideas and present them.

Tips for success#

My recommendation:

  • Study regularly

  • Do pair programming

Hardware development#

Ask questions#

Tool installation#

👉 Please install the latest version for the first lab from xilinx.com.

You can also run the software on our university’s cloud if you cannot install or need more computing resources.