MICROELECTRONIC SYSTEMS NEWS

FILENUMBER: 452 BEGIN_KEYWORDS FPGA Course Training Materials cmc END_KEYWORDS DATE: april 1995 TITLE: FPGA Course Training Materials FPGA Course Training Materials (Contributed by Kathryn Campbell of the Canadian Microelectronics Center) Field-Programmable Gate Array technology offers an increasingly popular, low-cost and low-risk route for rapid product development and prototyping. To introduce new users to this technology, Canadian Microelectronics Corporation (CMC) offers three packages of FPGA training material, produced under contract to CMC. These packages have already proved valuable as they formed the nucleus of four related courses at the 1994 Canadian Workshop on Field-Programmable Devices. Beginning with an entry-level approach to the technology and moving to more complex material, the three FPGA training packages respectively deal with the following design tools and device technologies: 1. ALTERA: The lecture notes in this first package provide an overview of FPGA technology, architecture and CAD tools and the lab guide describes the use of Altera's development tool software, schematic capture and simulation (through Altera's Higher Education Program, the development tool software is available at little or no cost). Source: Professor Stephen Brown, University of Toronto 2. VIEWLOGIC: These lecture notes and lab guides emphasize VHDL system design using Viewlogic design tools and Xilinx devices. This training material could be used to support an advanced level of training in Altera ( or any other vendor's) environment. Source: Cameron Patterson, Alberta Microelectronic Centre 3. MENTOR GRAPHICS AND CADENCE: This package deals with both schematic capture and VHDL in the Mentor Graphics and Cadence software design environments and uses Xilinx and Actel devices. Generally more complex than the other two packages, this material could be used to support environments from other vendors. Source: Professor Robert McLeod, University of Manitoba The documentation in all cases (lecture notes and laboratory guides) is available in hardcopy as well as PostScript and FrameMaker formats. For more information about the FPGA training materials which cost $50, contact: Kathryn Campbell Canadian Microelectronics Corporation Telephone: 613-545-6717 FAX: 613-548-8104 E-mail: campbell@cmc.ca

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