[sdiy] FPGAs

[ASSI]

On Thursday 27 January 2011, Matthew Smith wrote:
> OK - I'm not saying that I *will* learn to work with FPGAs, but just
> might be a chance, one day...
> 
> Am I right in thinking that I'd need to learn VHDL, or am I barking up
> the wrong logic array?

That, or Verilog - pick your poison.

VHDL is the more verbose of the two languages - if you know ADA, VHDL will 
look oddly familiar; Verilog has a superficial similarity to C.  In both 
cases, real proficiency in either of the two programming languages will 
probably more of a hindrance than a help since any HDL language deals with 
quite different concepts and problems than a programming language.  
Eventually you will want to know both languages enough to at least do a 
customization here and there.  Which one is more likely to land you a job in 
down under I don't know, but since you're in Adelaide, you might ring up 
Tony Burch (www.burched.com) and ask.  Here's a book that covers both in 
easily understood examples (I bought it for the VHDL and Verilog side-by-
side examples):

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/book/9780123704979

It's not the cheapest, but the university library ought to have it.


Achim.
-- 
+<[Q+ Matrix-12 WAVE#46+305 Neuron microQkb Andromeda XTk Blofeld]>+

Wavetables for the Waldorf Blofeld:
http://Synth.Stromeko.net/Downloads.html#BlofeldUserWavetables