ASEEand
Annual
The Division for Experimentation
Conference
Laboratory-Oriented Studies, Session
1526
JuneSession
19, 2000
1526
ASEE Annual Conference
UAH
Saint Louis, Missouri
An Integrated Facility for Rapid Prototyping
Rhonda Kay Gaede, B. Earl Wells
The University of Alabama in Huntsville
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Huntsville, AL 35899
UAH
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
Disclaimer
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
• This material is based upon work supported by the National
Science Foundation under Grant No. 9751482. Any opinions,
findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in
this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
Abstract
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
•
In 1997 the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department at the
University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) received a grant from the National
Science Foundation to develop a laboratory for the rapid prototyping of digital
circuits. This multipurpose laboratory was designed to allow interactive instruction
to minimize the learning curve associated with modern electrical design automation
tools. The laboratory fully supports hands-on, non-trivial student design experiences.
It is comprised of a set of networked PCs that host a wide range of CAD tools
including design capture (schematic capture and hardware description language
based), simulation, and rapid prototyping facilities that utilize reprogramable
FPGAs and CPLDs. The creation of this laboratory has had a direct effect on a
number of courses that span a large portion of the ECE undergraduate design
curriculum at UAH.
•
In these classes, students have expressed a renewed interested in the design process
and have been able to interactively experiment in a meaning manner with alternative
design methods. The facility has been used to create and prototype a broad spectrum
of designs which were part of both introductory and advanced courses. Projects have
ranged from application-specific medium scale logic circuit design to the design and
rapid prototyping of complete microprocessors. A key innovation brought about by
this facility and the associated curriculum changes is that students now are
introduced to rapid protyping of basic designs using behavioral tools (VHDL) and
structural tools (schematic capture) very early in their undergraduate career. This
early exposure is constantly re-enforced as students progress throughout their course
work. This presentation provide an overview of the designs and curriculum
innovations that have been made possible under the auspices of this grant.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
Laboratory Equipment
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
•
12 networked PCs (Dual boot running Windows NT 4.0/Linux ).
•
2 PC based Logic Analyzers with additional low end PC's to act as hosts
•
6 20MHZ oscilloscopes
•
Networkable HP Laser Printers
•
12 Altera UP-1 Rapid Prototyping Boards (total of 24 used thus far in project,10
donated 14 purchased).
•
Altera Max+Plus II Edition Software (for PCs and Suns)
•
4 Xilinx FPGA Demoboards -- with 3000 and 4000 series Xilinx chips – equivalent
to Altera UP-1
•
10 Xilinx XS40 Demo boards (8031 up with RAM and 4000 series Xilinx parts)
•
Xilinx Foundation V2.1 Software
•
Projection System with lowend PC
•
IKOS large reconfigurable logic accelerator.
•
2 Modular Circuit Technology -- MOD EMUP-A Universal Programmer and
Testers
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
Implemented Course Changes
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
• CPE/EE 422/502 - Advanced Logic Design
• EE 201 - Digital Logic Design Lab
• CPE 427/437- Computer Engineering Design I & II
• CPE 582 - VLSI Design Using Synthesis and Hardware
Description Languages
• CPE 493 - VLSI Design II
• CPE 197 - Engineering Methods Using C
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
Enrollment in Revised Courses
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
Course
Spring Summer Fall Spring Summer Fall Spring
98
98
98 99
99
99 00
CPE/EE 422/502 31
16
25 15
0
29 15
EE 201
0
0
43 52
37
56 64
CPE 427/437
0
0
21 21
0
24 25
CPE/EE 493
21
0
0
19
0
0
19
CPE 582
0
0
0
10
0
0
28
CPE 197
0
0
0
0
0
184 124
Totals
Grand Total
Electrical and Computer Engineering
52
16
89
117
37
293 275
899
UAH
Planned Course Changes
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
• CPE/EE 302 Design of Digital Computer
• Simulate VHDL Models of modules of computer design such
as aritmetic logic unit (ALU) and datapath
• CPE 433 Advanced Techniques in Computer Design
• Simulate models of a RISC processor
• Replace modules of the processor with student written models
to explore the design space
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
CPE 197 – Computer
Methods in Engineering
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
• Solution of engineering problems using a digital
computer. Hardware structure of the stored-program
computer; machine language programming, engineering
approximation of dynamic systems; flowcharting and
algorithms. Practice in solving engineering problems on
the university computers using “C”.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
The projection system in
the Rapid Prototyping
Laboratory has been
incorporated on a movable
cart with a PC. Instructors
in CPE 197 can use the
projection system to work
examples in class as an
alternative to having a lab
large enough for each
student to have a PC.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
CPE 197
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
UAH
EE 201 - Digital Logic Design Lab
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
• Experiments on logic gates, combinational logic circuit
design, flip-flops, sequential circuit design, counter
registers, and shift registers.
• Students use the same Altera software used in the Rapid
Prototyping Laboratory to simulate their designs. They
design their circuits, simulate them using the Altera
software, and then build them and observe the results
using oscilloscopes and other test equipment.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
Students
normally work
individually to
build their
circuits using the
prototype boards
available for
their use.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
EE 201
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
UAH
By learning to use
the Altera tools in
this early class,
students are ready to
focus on concepts
rather than tools in
the advanced logic
class.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
EE 201
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
UAH
In two of the later
labs, students use
programmable logic
to implement one of
their designs. They
describe this design
using very basic
VHDL.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
EE 201
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
UAH
CPE/EE 422/502
Advanced Logic Design
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
• Advanced concepts in Boolean algebra, use of
hardware description languages as a practical means to
implement hybrid sequential and combinational
designs, digital logic simulation, rapid prototyping
techniques, and design for testability concepts. Focuses
on the actual design and implementation of sizable
digital design problems using representative Computer
Aided Design (CAD) tools.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
Students enter their
designs using
either schematic
capture or VHDL,
simulate them, and
download them to
the Altera
University boards.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
CPE/EE 422/502
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
UAH
The two
programmable
Altera devices
included on the
university
development board
allow significant
projects to be
implemented.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
CPE/EE 422/502
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
UAH
CPE 427/437 Computer Engineering
Design I & II
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
• Senior design project course involving microcomputer
based systems. First design course on digital system
design. Case studies of legal, economic, and ethical
design issues.
• Senior design project course involving microcomputer
based systems. Second design course on digital system
design. Oral presentations and written reports are
required.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
Students in the
computer engineering
design sequence take
a system design from
concept to
implementation. They
work in teams to
implement both
hardware and
software components
of their system.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
CPE 427/437
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
UAH
CPE 427/437
Some of the projects
involve the use of
programmable logic
devices. Additionally, the
students use the
projection system in the
RPL for critical and final
design review
presentations. Students in
the course are required to
document their designs
on a web page.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
UAH
CPE/EE 493 - VLSI Design II
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
• Advanced experience with CAD tools for VLSI design, IC testing.
Design Project from CPE/EE 492 to be fabricated and tested.
Implementation and verification of test programs, IC testing and
trouble shooting, legal , economic, and ethical design issues. Oral
presentations and written reports are required.
• Students reimplement the designs they completed in the first
semester and sent off to MOSIS for fabrication using VHDL. They
then simulate the design, download it to an Altera chip and test it.
When the MOSIS chips come in, the board used with the Altera chip
can be used to test the MOSIS chip.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
An instructordesigned and built
board is customized
and used to test the
chips designed
using full custom
standard cell
techniques during
the first semester of
the course.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
ASEE Annual
Conference
CPE/EE 493
Session 1526
Connect to Byte Blas ter Cable
JTAG
JTAG
MAX7128
OUTCHIP
FLEX10K10
FPGA
JTAG
MAX7128
INCHIP
MOSIS
ISA Interface
un used
Ed ge Connecto rs
UAH
The boards have three
donated Altera chips
on each of them. The
board is initially wired
for a simple circuit for
which a test program
is provided.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
CPE/EE 493
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
UAH
Students wire wrap
their boards to
customize them for
their particular design,
whether implemented
in programmable logic
or fabricated by
MOSIS.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
CPE/EE 493
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
UAH
CPE 582 - VLSI Design Using
Synthesis and HDLs
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
• Modern VLSI design techniques and tools, such as
silicon compilers and (V)HDL modeling languages.
Students are expected to design and simulate a VLSI
chip.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
Students in this course
use the Altera software
available in the RPL and
on the SUN machines
pictured here for layout
of their synthesized
designs. The PCs in the
lab can be used in their
Linux mode to access
the other software used
in this course.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
CPE 582
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
UAH
CPE 595 – Microcomputer
Development Systems
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
• Development of general purpose stand-alone microprocessor
systems using a microprocessor development systems.
• Project: The Reconfigurable Glue Logic Microprocessor Interfacing
Trainer (RLT): the Reconfigurable glue Logic microprocessor
interfacing Trainer, RLT, is a device that is to be designed to give future
computer and electrical engineering students at UAH a platform through
which they can easily prototype bus-level microprocessor interfacing
designs in a classroom setting without the need of applying expensive
and time consuming prototyping techniques. The trainer will use a
medium size reconfigurable logic device which the students will
configure using standard CAD software thereby enabling a number of
bus-level interfacing experiments to be performed between the
microprocessor and nonvolatile memory (FLASH or EPROM), SRAM,
and DRAM memory. The RTL is to be designed so that it can be
interfaced to any computer that has a standard RS232 serial interface and
a basic terminal program.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
CPE 427/437
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526
One student project using the Altera parts was the Enunciator, which is very
similar to a scrolling marquee. It will display a message on an 8x64 LED
matrix. The Enunciator is menu driven from a HyperTerminal session that is
connected to the proto-board via a serial connection. It has the capability to
display all printable characters, display very simple graphics, and several
different erase methods. Each message is user defined and can be up to 8
characters long and can be scripted to print up to 10 messages. If the message
series option is chosen, a different erase method may be used after each
message is displayed.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
UAH
Students in the
Rapid Prototyping
Laboratory work
with the instructor
on their design
projects.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
CPE/EE 422/502
ASEE Annual
Conference
Session 1526