DTU 02139: Digital Electronics 2

This course is a follow up of Digital Electronics 1 for students of Electrical Engineering at DTU, but can also be taken from other study lines.

Aims of the course

To provide the participants with the competencies necessary to design digital circuits that perform simple calculations or control tasks using typical simulation and synthesis tools and to implement these circuits using reconfigurable hardware (FPGA technology).

List of Topics

• Calculation of circuit delay and energy consumption of combinatorial circuits using R-C switch models.

• Macromodels and timing parameters for combinatorial circuits and flip-flops. Calculation of critical path.

• Hardware description in a hardware description language (Chisel)

• Metastability and synchronization of asynchronous input signals.

• FPGA technology: Basics of structure and principles of operation.

• FSMD-style implementation template for a digital circuit (a so-called data-path controlled by a finite state machine).

• Elementary HDL: (a) basic language constructs, (b) understanding its semantics based on how a given circuit simulates, (c) code templates for combinatorial and sequential circuits.

• Lab exercises covering Chisel and related CAD tools for simulation, synthesis, and prototype implementation using FPGA technology (currently GTKWave and Xilinx Vivado).

Prerequisites

The course is intended for students enrolled in the bachelor program in electrical engineering or bachelor students from software engineering with an interest in hardware design. Knowledge on following topics is a prerequisite:

• Boolean algebra

• Basic digital structures (e.g., AND gate, register)

• Computer usage as a developer (text/program editor, file system, command line interface)

• Basic programming

Depending on your background the prerequisites are covered in one of the following courses:

• 02138 Digital Electronics 1

• 02132 Computer Systems

• 02135 Introduction to Cyber Systems

Schedule, Format, Place

The course is lectured Thursday afternoons 13:00 - 17:00. The course is lectured in English.

First part is usually lectures and second part is reserved for project work. Students will work in groups of two or three on small lab exercises and as a final project on a vending machine.

The course is lectured B308-A013 and the labs are in B308-IT117, B308-IT127.

Pensum List

Dally

In all Dally sections ignore VHDL code

• Section 8.1 - 8.6

• Section 14.1 - 14.5

• Section 15.1 - 15.6

• Section 16.1 - 16.3

• Section 17.1 - 17.2

• Section 28.1 - 28.4

Chisel book (Schoeberl)

• Chapter 2

• Section 4.1 - 4.2

• Chapter 5

• Section 6.1 - 6.3

• Chapter 7

• Chapter 8

• Chapter 9

Slides

• TBD: RC switching model from L03 slides (in DTU Inside)

Recommended Textbooks

• Dally: Digital Design Using VHDL a Systems Approach

• Schoeberl: Digital Design with Chisel

The Dally book is available from Polyteknisk Boghandel in Building 101A. The Schoeberl book is open access and freely available.

Resources

• Lab Material

• The Chisel Book

• Chisel

Instructor

Martin Schoeberl

Lecture Plan (2024)

This lecture plan may change during the semester, adapting to the current teaching situation.

Week 1 Introduction

Topics: Introduction and motivation, languages for hardware design, testing (see 2.1.4), tools and setup, a first round in Chisel

Slides: 01_intro.pdf

Reading: Chisel: 1, 2, Dally: 2.1.4

Optional reading: Dally: 1, 2

Lab: Chisel “Hello World”

Week 2 Basic Digital Circuits in Chisel

Topics: Recap combinational and synchronous circuits with Chisel code (including comparison with VHDL)

Slides: 02_basic.pdf

Reading: Dally 8, 14.1, 14.2 and Chisel 5

Lab: Combinational circuits in Chisel

Week 3 Components and Sequential Circuits

Topics: Composing circuits out of components, sequential building blocks, using CLI

Slides: 03_sequential.pdf

Reading: Dally: 16.1 and 16.2 Chisel: 3.1, 3.2, 4 and 6

Lab: Components and sequential circuits

Week 4 Testing and Verification

Topics: Sequential building blocks, testing and verification in Chisel, waveform viewing

Slides: 04_testing.pdf

Reading: Dally: 2.1.4 and 20, Chisel: 3

Lab: A Simple Tester

Week 5 Timing (self study, no lecture)

Topics: Delay and Power, Timing, and Metastability

Slides: in DTU Learn

Reading: Dally: 15.1-15.6, and 28.1-28.4

Optional reading: (Slides in DTU Learn)

Lab: 15.1, 15.10, 15.11, 15.12, 15.19, 15.20, 15.21

Week 6 State Machines

Topics: State machine (repetition) and the coding in Chisel

Slides: 06_fsm.pdf

Reading: Dally: 14.3-14.5, Chisel: 8

Lab: Hexadecimal to 7-segment decoder

Week 7 State Machine and Datapath

Topics: State machine and datapath (FSMD)

Slides: 07_fsmd.pdf

Reading: Dally: 16.3, 29.1-29.3, Chisel: 9.2

Lab: Dally 14.3, 14.5 (Sketch a Chisel implementation on paper), 14.28, Sketch a Chisel implementation on paper for 14.28

Week 8 State Machines and Refactoring

Topics: Refactoring of state machines, input processing, reset

Slides: 08_refactor.pdf

Reading: Dally: 17, Chisel: 9.1, 7

Lab: Multiplexed Seven-Segment Display

Easter Week

Week 9 Communications State Machines

Topics: Ready/valid interface, and hardware generators

Slides: 09_commfsm.pdf

Reading: Dally: 22, Chisel: 9.3

Lab: Using a UART Component

Week 10 Vending Machine Specification (1/2 hour) (TBD)

Slides: 10_vending.pdf

Lab: Testing a Vending Machine

Week 11 Interfacing and Memory, and some Testing

Topics: Interfaces, memory, and serial interface plus repetition on testing

Slides: 11_interface.pdf

Reading: Dally: 24 Chisel: 6.4

Lab: The Vending Machine

Week 12 Verification (guest lecture)

Lab: The Vending Machine

Week 13 Outro, A Simple Processor

Topics: Lipsi as a simple processor, Discussion of course, and followup courses

Slides: 13_outro.pdf

Lab: Finish vending machine and report