Session 1: Introduction & Development Pipeline¶
Homework assignments:
- Install the course toolchain (Docker container) - DONE
- Try out the Quickstart - DONE
- Verify your tools work before Thursday! - DONE
Research¶
I was able to get the Docker container running. I explored the files in /examples/ and ran each of the examples.
I began with the Quickstart, but then realized that the README.md had way more helpful information! It gave a description of how each example behaved and more links.
It was also helpful to open up the makefile to see what was happening at each step.
Simulating requires two files, the .v file which is the main design, and tb.v which provides the test bench information.
The .vvp and .vcd files are created during the simulation.
Viewing the waveform for fortune teller, I used the tips shared from other students to append the ‘current_char[7:0]’ item from the drop down menu, then right click Data Format > ASCII - this lets you see in real time the character of the fortune being outputed.
Modifying the fortune teller file was straight forward enough. There are eight possible fortunes, each up to 20 characters long. You can use an ASCII to HEX tool to quickly figure out what HEX codes to use to write out your new fortune. You would need to edit the test bench to cycle between other fortunes since you’ll get the same two everytime.