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The ZedBoard ™ is a complete Avnet Electronics Marketing-designed development kit that offers embedded systems engineers a lowcost and very accessible introduction to the Zynq ® -7000 SoC from Xilinx. By combining custom FPGA hardware design and the software flexibility of ARM ® dual-core Cortex ® -A9, the Zynq-7000
SoC offers the best of both worlds in a single chip.
To help users and embedded systems developers maximize the potential of the ZedBoard development platform, Avnet offers a series of SpeedWay Design Workshops ™ to bring engineers up to speed quickly. The SpeedWay courses are available over the
Internet as well as in regularly scheduled hands-on, in-person training sessions.
Two Morgan State University professors recently attended a
SpeedWay session that took them from the basic introduction through to the software-defined radio (SDR) development kit and training. The comprehensive and easily digestible SpeedWay course prompted Dr. Willie L. Thompson II and Dr. Kofi Nyarko to offer their thoughts on this unique training to a wider audience.
Dr. Willie L. Thompson II
Dr. Kofi Nyarko
Dr. Willie L. Thompson II
Engineering Department
Morgan State University
The ZedBoard is a very new product. How did you find out about it?
I was introduced to the ZedBoard development kit while supporting a contractual research program at the university. The client wanted us to investigate its capabilities for software-defined radio.
The ZedBoard development platform can be used in a range of applications. Was there a specific application that attracted you to the ZedBoard or was it the application flexibility?
The ZedBoard is an inexpensive development platform for software-defined radio applications due to the Zynq SoC, which allows for a highly integrated solution. The Zynq ARM processing system can implement configuration and control of the SDR, while the programmable logic can be used for the high-performance digital signal processing.
There was an original drive for using ZedBoard - it served as a good platform to implement various algorithms and processes involving open source tools (like Red Hawk) for software defined radio.  I was also attracted to its potential use as a great prototyping platform for computer vision.
As university educators and researchers, your interests may differ from most designers who take the SpeedWay courses. What special needs or potential uses did you see in the course material, or did certain possibilities become apparent as you progressed through the course?
I was looking for some great training material that I could deliver to my research students that could serve as a base on which we could develop additional capabilities and instructional processes. The SpeedWay training I received assisted me tremendously with figuring out how to structure my instruction for my research students in a logical manner, whereby they could progressively build on their experience with prior modules.
The SpeedWay course material has been integrated into our student-mentoring program within the research center. It provides a preliminary introduction to the Zynq capabilities and the Xilinx development environment. It allows us to focus on the SDR concepts with the students, without the initial burden of focusing on the mechanics of the Zynq configuration using Planhead. In addition, it provides an initial framework for an SDR application.

The SpeedWay course doesn’t jump straight into SDR. What can you tell us about the first two modules Introduction to Zynq ™ and Implementing Linux on the Zynq-7000 SoC and the background they provided for eventually designing with the SDR kit?
The Introduction to Zynq is an essential module, because it provides a sequential approach for configuring the Zynq SoC. The Linux on the Zynq-7000 SoC module provides an out-of-the-box example for implementing Linux onto the ARM processing system. Both modules provide a foundation for understanding the hardware and software framework for the SDR module, which is critical to their understanding and to assisting them with furthering the design process of SDR applications.
The first two courses are an excellent introduction to understanding the tool chain required for configuring and developing on the ZedBoard. The SpeedWay materials are perfect for students who have a limited background in embedded systems programming and gets them up to speed very quickly. By following the courses in sequence, most of the research students have had little trouble getting up to speed on the SDR course.
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The SpeedWay course includes lab material for practical exercises using the SDR hardware.
Did you find these useful?
Yes, these materials were very helpful. For the university classroom, we augmented some of these materials with exercises that tested students understanding of the concepts presented in the courses. We discovered that some students simply followed the steps, without a true understanding of why they were executing those steps. These exercises helped ensure they could apply reason and logic outside of the steps provided.
We are using the lab material as a framework for Zynq SoC within our research center. Coupled with the Xilinx technical user guides, we have been able to demonstrate real-world applications.
What about the value of the lecture portion of the course? Do you think it is suitable and potentially valuable to an engineering student or new graduate?
I think the SDR lecture is a balanced blend of theory and applied application. Matlab ® integration infused into the SDR exercises gives practical insights and is applicable to real-world design flows used within the industry.
Yes, the lecture portion is indeed very valuable to an engineering student. Perhaps references for additional material would be useful for students who would like a broader understanding of the subject area.
Dr. Kofi Nyarko
Engineering Department
Morgan State University

Does the course provide everything needed to understand the concepts and get going with a basic design?
Yes. But as I mentioned, some students get caught up in following the steps and don’t really think of how to apply the knowledge outside of the structured approach of the course.
Having some open ended activities that augment the instruction would be helpful.
Not quite. I think a basic understanding of some concepts is needed to fully benefit from the
SpeedWay course material.
Okay, so I guess prospective students should have some basic background knowledge and skills.
What are the prerequisites for someone thinking of attending the SpeedWay course?
While having some experience with embedded systems would be great, I think the real requirement is just having an interest in embedded design, and a basic understanding of computer architecture, digital logic and C programming.
Students should have a good grounding in five core areas:
• C programming
• Signals and Systems
• Introductory Matlab
• Digital Communication
• Introductory HDL
Provided the candidate has the basic prerequisites, how quickly can someone new to the
ZedBoard platform and the development tools and SW expect to get up and running on their first SDR design?
Well, getting up to speed with their first basic hardware design doesn’t take long. Getting to their first SDR design would take a bit more time (unless they have a decent RF background).
The course provides a decent walk through, but most students will have to get supplemental material covering the basics of RF hardware design.
Within a month, they would be able to demonstrate an SDR application on the ZedBoard.
What SDR designs are covered in the lab exercises and how might these be applied to other designs and projects an engineer might have in mind?
The rate conversions and symbol timing algorithm can be adopted into other projects based on the Matlab ® models provided.
The course covered using Matlab ® to create a hardware module, generating the netlist, programming the ZedBoard and then using the SDR kit to transmit and receive a tuneable signal, while viewing the results in the digital oscilloscope. It would be interesting to see how open source tools like Red Hawk can be used with the ZedBoard.
Previously printed in Avnet Electronics Marketing’s AXIOM publication, January 2014. All rights reserved. www.em.avnet.com/axiom