Laboratory Exercise #7

Introduction to Behavioral Verilog and Logic

Synthesis

ECEN 248: Introduction to Digital Design

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Texas A&M University
2 Laboratory Exercise #7

1 Introduction
In the previous lab, we looked at two different approaches to describing digital circuits in Verilog HDL,
namely structural and dataflow modeling. For this week’s laboratory assignment, we will introduce an even
higher level of abstraction available in Verilog HDL, commonly referred to as behavioral modeling. For the
first lab experiment, you will recreate the multiplexers described in the last lab using behavioral Verilog.
For the second experiment, you will use behavioral Verilog to describe the binary encoders and decoders
talked about in lecture. In addition to behavioral modeling, this laboratory assignment will introduce logic
synthesis, the process of translating HDL code into implementable digital logic. Experiment 3 will guide
you through the process of synthesizing the decoders and encoders simulated in experiment 2. Furthermore,
you will programming the Spartan 3E board on your workbench in order to test those components you
described in Verilog.

2 Background
The subsection that follow will provide you with the background information necessary to complete the
experiments in lab this week. Please read through this section and use it to complete the pre-lab assignment
prior to your lab session.

2.1 Behavioral Verilog Modeling

Higher levels of abstraction within an HDL improve the productivity of a hardware developer by allowing
him or her to simply describe the intended behavior of the digital circuit rather than the flow of digital
data through logic gates. Compared to gate-level descriptions at the structural or dataflow level, behavioral
modeling utilizes many of the constructs available in higher level programming languages to describe the
algorithm the circuit designer would like to implement in hardware. One thing to keep in mind, however, is
that most HDLs (including Verilog) are still concurrent languages, which means that behavioral statements
you describe run in parallel. After all, it is hardware that you are describing!
Behavioral modeling in Verilog makes use of two very different structured procedure statements, initial
and always. Both of these statements use the begin and end keywords to group behavioral statements into a
single block. For example, code in between a begin and end pair immediately following an initial statement
constitutes an initial block. Similarly, an always block includes the grouped code immediately following
an always statement. An initial block executes only once starting at the beginning of simulation, whereas
an always block repeats whenever a given trigger condition is met. The code below describes a 1-bit, 2:1
MUX using behavioral Verilog. Please take a moment to examine the code.

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 Laboratory Exercise #7 3

1 ‘ t i m e s c a l e 1 ns / 1 ps
‘ d e f a u l t n e t t y p e none
3 / ∗ T h i s module d e s c r i b e s a 1− b i t w i d e m u l t i p l e x e r u s i n g b e h a v i o r a l c o n s t r u c t s ∗
∗ i n V e r i l o g HDL . ∗/
5
module two one mux (Y, A, B , S ) ; / / d e f i n e t h e module name and i t s i n t e r f a c e
7
/ ∗ d e c l a r e o u t p u t and i n p u t p o r t s ∗ /
9 o u t p u t r e g Y; / / d e c l a r e o u t p u t o f t y p e r e g s i n c e i t w i l l be m o d i f i e d i n
/ / an a l w a y s b l o c k !
11 i n p u t w i r e A, B , S ; / / d e c l a r e i n p u t s o f t y p e w i r e
/ / w i r e s can d r i v e r e g s i n b e h a v i o r a l s t a t e m e n t s
13
always@ (A or B or S ) / / a l w a y s b l o c k w h i c h t r i g g e r s w h e n e v e r A , B , o r S c h a n g e s
15 begin / / block c o n s t r u c t s t o g e t h e r
/ ∗ 1 ’ b0 r e p r e s e n t s a 1− b i t b i n a r y v a l u e o f 0 ∗ /
17 i f ( S == 1 ’ b0 ) / / d o u b l e e q u a l s a r e u s e d f o r c o m p a r i s o n s
Y = A; / / d r i v e Y w i t h A
19 else
Y = B; / / instead drive Y with B
21 end

23 endmodule / / d e s i g n a t e end o f module

Behavioral modeling introduces a new type of net called a reg. Behavioral statements are not able to
modify nets of type wire but can modify nets of type reg. In other words, you should never see a wire on
the left-hand side of behavioral statement. However, regs can be driven by wires, which means you may
see a wire on the right-hand side of a behavioral statement. Likewise, regs can drive wires within assign
statements or other regs within behavioral statements. In the example above, the behavior of the multiplexer
is easy to interpret. If the 1-bit wire, S, is equal to ‘0’, then the output, Y , is driven by A. Otherwise, Y is
driven by B.

2.2 Decoders and Encoders

Binary encoders and decoders can be used to transform the way digital data is represented. For example, a
2:4 binary decoder converts a 2-bit binary number into a 4-bit one-hot encoded output such that only one of
the four output bits is active at one time. Table 1 illustrates the truth table for a 2:4 binary decoder with an
active HIGH enable signal, En. Take a moment to examine the truth table and verify that the output signals
are in fact one-hot encoded. The gate-level schematic for such a decoder is depicted in Figure 1. Examine
the schematic and convince yourself that it implements the logic described in Table 1.
For an example use case of a decoder, consider a situation in which a device has four LEDs which
indicate mutually exclusive events. In this circumstance, no more than one LED should be light at any point
in time. We can then use a 2-bit binary number to indicate which LED should be light and feed that binary

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4 Laboratory Exercise #7

Table 1: 2:4 Binary Decoder Truth Table

En w1 w0 y3 y2 y1 y0
1 0 0 0 0 0 1
1 0 1 0 0 1 0
1 1 0 0 1 0 0
1 1 1 1 0 0 0
0 X X 0 0 0 0

Figure 1: 2:4 Binary Decoder Gate-level Schematic

number into a decoder to power four LEDs. Now that we understand what a binary decoder does, we can
surmise what a binary encoder might do. As you may have figured, a binary encoder will transform a one-
hot encoding back into a binary number. The truth table for a 4:2 binary encoder can be found in Table 2.
Notice that unexpected inputs where more than one input signal is HIGH are not shown. Also, a zero signal
has been provided which indicates when no input signal is HIGH. The corresponding gate-level schematic
is shown in Figure 2.
A binary encoder similar to the one discussed above could be used to encode buttons on a keypad
assuming only one button is expected to be pressed at any point in time. For example, if we have four
buttons as input, the 4:2 binary encoder would convert the four digital signals coming from the buttons into
a 2-bit binary number representing which button is being pressed. The zero signal would indicate that no
buttons are being pressed when asserted.

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Table 2: 4:2 Binary Encoder Truth Table

w3 w2 w1 w0 y1 y0 zero
0 0 0 0 X X 1
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 0 1 0
0 1 0 0 1 0 0
1 0 0 0 1 1 0

Figure 2: 4:2 Binary Encoder Gate-level Schematic

Table 3: 4:2 Priority Encoder Truth Table

w3 w2 w1 w0 y1 y0 zero
0 0 0 0 X X 1
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 1 X 0 1 0
0 1 X X 1 0 0
1 X X X 1 1 0

This type of encoder works well when no more than one button is pressed at a time, but what happens
when that is not the case? Figure 2 was drawn assuming those inputs would not exist; however, we can use
it to determine exactly what the output would be in all 16 button combinations. A pre-lab exercise will ask
you to do just that! If we must also handle these extraneous cases, we may want to utilize a priority encoder.
Table 3 shows a truth table of a priority encoder which assigns priorities to each input bit. Input bits to the
left have a higher priority than input bits to the right.

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2.3 FPGAs and Logic Synthesis

Logic simulation greatly simplifies the design process by allowing a designer to simulate the operation of
his or her HDL code without the need for bread-boarding the digital circuit. Simulation works well until
the design phase is far enough along that your circuit needs to interact with other pre-build components
within a larger system, or your customer is demanding an early demonstration of your product to ensure
their investment is sound. At that point, what is the next step? Well one very good solution would be to
employ a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), which is apart of a larger class of re-programmable logic
devices.

Figure 3: Field Programmable Gate Array

An FPGA contains an array of Configurable Logic Blocks (CLBs) surrounded by programmable inter-
connects. The hierarchy of programmable interconnects allows logic blocks to be interconnected as needed,
somewhat like an on-chip programmable breadboard. In addition to re-porgrammable logic, FPGAs typi-
cally contain hardware macros such as memory blocks, arithmetic units, and even entire microprocessors.
The re-programmability of the FPGA means that it can be programmed in the field (i.e. after being pur-
chased). The FPGA that we will use in lab is a Spartan 3E FPGA manufactured by Xilinx. Consequently,
we will use Xilinx ISE to perform logic synthesis, which will convert our HDL code into a low level netlist
of FPGA primitives (i.e. CLBs). Once synthesis is complete, we will move into the implementation phase
of the design, which will place the primitives in the netlist onto the FPGA and route the necessary inter-
connects. The output of the implementation phase is a bit stream file which we will use to program the
FPGA.
Before moving on, it is important for us to talk about a subset of Verilog known as synthesizable Verilog.
Not all of the Verilog constructs you have seen so far are implementable. For example, initial blocks cannot

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be synthesized. Likewise, delays1 in Verilog cannot be synthesized. Thus, we consider all constructs in
Verilog, which can be synthesized, to be synthesizable Verilog. Constructs that are not apart of this subset
are still very useful for creating elaborate test benches for use during simulation.

2.4 The Xilinx Spartan 3E Board

An FPGA by itself is not particularly useful because it must be soldered onto a circuit board, which will
provide adequate power and ground in addition to a steady clock signal. For prototyping2 , Xilinx provides
various evaluation boards, which contain an FPGA and a handful of other support components including
switches, push-buttons, LEDs, and Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) for I/O. The evaluation board we will
be using in lab is the Spartan 3E Board shown in Figure 4. Take a moment to locate all of the aforementioned
components in the pictured provided.

Figure 4: The Spartan 3E Board

3 Pre-lab
The intention of the pre-lab is to prepare you for the upcoming lab assignment. Please complete the pre-lab
prior to attending your lab session.
1
We will discuss delays in future labs.
2
A prototype is a model built to test a concept. Prototyping refers to the creation of such a model and is done quite often in
industry sometimes prior to even finding a customer.

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 8 Laboratory Exercise #7

3.1 Binary Decoder and Encoder

In this week’s lab assignment, we would like to compare the use of behavioral modeling with that of struc-
tural and dataflow modeling. To do so, you will be asked to come to lab with a Verilog model of the 2:4
binary decoder, the 4:2 binary encoder, and the 4:2 priority encoder. For the first two on the list, the back-
ground section explains all you need to know to describe them in Verilog. Use the module interfaces found
below to get started. You will need to describe one of them (it does not matter which one) using structural
Verilog and the built-in gate-level primitives, while for the other one, you will need to use gate-level dataflow
Verilog. If these terms do not make sense, please consult the previous lab assignments. Be sure to comment
your code thoroughly!
1 / ∗ module i n t e r f a c e f o r t h e 2 : 4 d e c o d e r ∗ /
module t w o f o u r d e c o d e r (
3 i n p u t w i r e [ 1 : 0 ] W,
i n p u t w i r e En ,
5 output wire [ 3 : 0 ] Y
);
7
/ ∗ module i n t e r f a c e f o r t h e 4 : 2 e n c o d e r ∗ /
9 module f o u r t w o e n c o d e r (
i n p u t w i r e [ 3 : 0 ] W,
11 o u t p u t w i r e [ 1 : 0 ] Y,
output wire z e r o
13 ) ;

3.2 Priority Encoder

For the priority encoder, it is more convenient to describe a set of intermediate signals which essentially set
the priority. Those signals can then be feed directly into a simple binary encoder discussed above. Figure 5
illustrates this concept. The truth table for the priority encoder modified to include these intermediate signals
is shown in Table 4. The boolean algebra expressions for the intermediate signals are as follows:

i0 = w3 w2 w1 w0
i1 = w3 w2 w1
i2 = w3 w2
i3 = w3

Using the above expressions as intermediate signals, describe the priority encoder in Verilog. You may use
either structural or dataflow Verilog and the following module interface:

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 Laboratory Exercise #7 9

1 module p r i o r i t y e n c o d e r (
i n p u t w i r e [ 3 : 0 ] W,
3 o u t p u t w i r e [ 1 : 0 ] Y,
output wire z e r o
5 );

Figure 5: Priority Encoder

Table 4: 4:2 Priority Encoder Truth Table

w3 w2 w1 w0 i3 i2 i1 i0 y1 y0 zero
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 X X 1
0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 1 X 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
0 1 X X 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
1 X X X 1 0 0 0 1 1 0

3.3 Pre-lab Deliverables

Please include the following items in your pre-lab write-up in addition to the items mentioned in the Policies
and Procedures document.

1. Verilog code with comments for the 2:4 binary decoder, the 4:2 binary encoder, and the 4:2 prior-
ity encoder. Do not use behavioral Verilog for these descriptions! Use the structural and dataflow
concepts introduced in the previous lab.

2. The complete truth table for the gate-level schematic shown in Figure 2. This truth table should not
include “don’t cares” (i.e. ‘X’)!

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10 Laboratory Exercise #7

3. A brief comparison of the the behavioral implementation of a multiplexer described in the background
section with the multiplexer you described in the previous lab using structural and dataflow.

4 Lab Procedure
For the following laboratory experiments, you will be expected to complete procedures that were introduced
in the previous lab such as creating a new ISE project, creating a new source file, etc. Please reference
the previous lab manual for step-by-step guidance if you do not remember how to perform an action listed
below.

4.1 Experiment 1
For this experiment, we would like to get a feel for describing hardware in behavioral Verilog. To do so, we
will start by simulating the multiplexer provided to you in the background section. We will then ask you
to extend that multiplexer to a 4-bit wide, 2:1 multiplexer and finally to a 4-bit wide, 4:1 multiplexer. The
steps below will guide you through the entire process.

1. Describe a 1-bit, 2:1 multiplexer in behavioral Verilog and simulate its operation.

(a) Begin by opening ISE and creating a new project called “lab7”. We will use this same project
throughout the lab assignment.
(b) Create a new source file and save it as “two one mux behavioral.v” in your lab7 directory.
(c) Type the behavioral code provided in the background section of this manual into the file you just
created. Save the file and then add it to your new ISE project.
(d) Copy the “two one mux tb.v” file from the course directory into your lab7 directory and add it
to your ISE project.
(e) Simulate the test bench and ensure the UUT passes all of the tests. Include a screenshot of the
simulation waveform and console output in your lab write-up.

2. Describe a 4-bit, 2:1 multiplexer in behavioral Verilog and simulate its operation.

(a) A 4-bit, 2:1 multiplexer can be easily described by simply making the output port, Y , and the in-
put ports, A and B, 4-bits wide. Save the “two one mux behavioral.v” file as “four bit mux behavioral.v”
and replace lines 5 through 11 with the following Verilog code:
1 module f o u r b i t m u x (Y, A, B , S ) ;

3 / ∗ d e c l a r e o u t p u t and i n p u t p o r t s ∗ /
o u t p u t r e g [ 3 : 0 ] Y; / / o u t p u t i s a 4− b i t w i d e r e g
5 i n p u t w i r e [ 3 : 0 ] A, B ; / / A and B a r e 4− b i t w i d e w i r e s
input wire S ; / / s e l e c t i s s t i l l 1 b i t wide

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Laboratory Exercise #7 11

(b) Add the new source file to your ISE project. Copy the “four bit mux tb.v” file from the course
directory into your lab7 directory, and add it to you ISE project as well.
(c) Simulate the test bench and ensure the UUT passes all of the tests. Include a screenshot of the
simulation waveform and console output in your lab write-up.

3. The if-else clause in the 2:1 multiplexer code works quite well; however, the case statement can be
more succinct when the number of inputs is greater than two. Describe a 4-bit, 4:1 multiplexer in
behavioral Verilog and simulate its operation.

(a) Create a new Verilog source file, “mux 4bit 4to1.v”, and use the following Verilog code as a
template to describe the multiplexer.
‘ t i m e s c a l e 1 ns / 1 ps
2 ‘ d e f a u l t n e t t y p e none
/ ∗ T h i s module d e s c r i b e s a 4− b i t , 4 : 1 m u l t i p l e x e r u s i n g b e h a v i o r a l c o n s t r u c t s ∗
4 ∗ i n V e r i l o g HDL . ∗/
module m u x 4 b i t 4 t o 1 (Y, A, B , C , D, S ) ;
6
/ ∗ d e c l a r e o u t p u t and i n p u t p o r t s ∗ /
8 o u t p u t r e g [ 3 : 0 ] Y; / / o u t p u t i s a 4− b i t w i d e r e g
i n p u t w i r e [ 3 : 0 ] A, B , C , D; / / 4− b i t w i d e i n p u t w i r e s
10 / / s e l e c t i s a 2− b i t w i r e

12 always@ ( ∗ ) / / new V e r i l o g t r i c k ! ! ! ∗ means t r i g g e r when a n y t h i n g c h a n g e s

/ / n o t i c e t h a t we d i d n o t u s e b e g i n and end b e c a u s e t h e c a s e
14 / / s t a t e m e n t i s c o n s i d e r e d one c l a u s e
c a s e ( S ) / / s e l e c t i o n b a s e d on S
16 2 ’ b00 : Y = A; / / when S == 2 ’ b00
/ / f i l l in something here . . .
18 2 ’ b11 : Y = D; / / when S == 2 ’ b11
e n d c a s e / / d e s i g n a t e s t h e end o f a c a s e s t a t e m e n t
20
endmodule

(b) Save the source file and add it to your lab7 project. Similarly, copy the test bench file, “mux 4bit 4to1 tb.v”,
into your lab7 directory and add it to your lab7 project.
(c) Simulate the test bench and ensure the UUT passes all of the tests. Include a screenshot of the
simulation waveform and console output in your lab write-up.

4.2 Experiment 2
For the next experiment, we would like to give you exposure to binary encoders and decoders discussed in
lecture, while reinforcing the behavioral Verilog concept.

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12 Laboratory Exercise #7

1. Use behavioral Verilog to describe the 2:4 binary decoder and the 4:2 binary encoder. Simulate the
two four decoder and four two encoder modules you design in ISE using the “two four decoder tb.v”
and “four two encoder tb.v” test bench files, respectively.

(a) Create a new source file called “two four decoder.v” and describe the 2:4 binary decoder in
behavioral Verilog using the code below as a starting point.
1 ‘ t i m e s c a l e 1 ns / 1 ps
‘ d e f a u l t n e t t y p e none
3 / ∗ T h i s module d e s c r i b e s a 2 : 4 d e c o d e r u s i n g b e h a v i o r a l c o n s t r u c t s i n V e r i l o g HDL . ∗ /

5 / ∗ module i n t e r f a c e f o r t h e 2 : 4 d e c o d e r ∗ /
module t w o f o u r d e c o d e r (
7 i n p u t w i r e [ 1 : 0 ] W,
i n p u t w i r e En ,
9 / / Y s h o u l d be a 4− b i t o u t p u t o f t y p e r e g
);
11
always@ ( ) / / s o m e t h i n g i s m i s s i n g h e r e . . . t r i g g e r when En o r W c h a n g e s
13 begin / / not n e c e s s a r y because i f i s s i n g l e c l a u s e but l o o k s b e t t e r
i f ( En == 1 ’ b1 ) / / can p u t c a s e w i t h i n i f c l a u s e !
15 c a s e (W) / / s e l e c t i o n b a s e d on W
2 ’ b00 : Y = 4 ’ b0001 ; / / 4 ’ b s i g n i f i e s a 4− b i t b i n a r y v a l u e
17 / / f i l l i n code here . . .
2 ’ b11 : Y = 4 ’ b1000 ; / / l i g h t up y [ 3 ]
19 e n d c a s e / / d e s i g n a t e s t h e end o f a c a s e s t a t e m e n t
e l s e / / i f not Enable
21 Y = 4 ’ b0000 ; / / d i s a b l e a l l o u t p u t s
end
23
endmodule

(b) Add the source file you just created to your ISE project and simulate the 2:4 binary decoder
behavioral model with the 2:4 decoder test bench used to simulate the decoder you described in
the pre-lab. Ensure the UUT passes all of the tests and include a screenshot of the simulation
waveform and console output in your lab write-up.
(c) Create a new source file, “four two encoder.v”, and use the code below to describe a the 4:2
binary encoder in behavioral Verilog.
‘ t i m e s c a l e 1 ns / 1 ps
2 ‘ d e f a u l t n e t t y p e none
/ ∗ T h i s module d e s c r i b e s a 2 : 4 d e c o d e r u s i n g b e h a v i o r a l c o n s t r u c t s i n V e r i l o g HDL . ∗ /
4
/ ∗ module i n t e r f a c e f o r t h e 4 : 2 e n c o d e r ∗ /
6 module f o u r t w o e n c o d e r (
i n p u t w i r e [ 3 : 0 ] W,
8 output wire zero ,
/ / Y s h o u l d be a 2− b i t o u t p u t o f t y p e r e g

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Laboratory Exercise #7 13

10 ) ;

12 / ∗ can mix l e v e l s o f a b s t r a c t i o n ! ∗ /
a s s i g n z e r o = (W == 4 ’ b0000 ) ; / / a z e r o t e s t ! n o t i c e t h e u s e o f == r a t h e r t h a n =
14
/∗ behavioral portion ∗/
16 always@ ( ) / / s o m e t h i n g i s m i s s i n g h e r e . . . t r i g g e r when W c h a n g e s
begin / / not n e c e s s a r y because case i s s i n g l e c l a u s e but l o o k s b e t t e r
18 c a s e (W) / / s e l e c t i o n b a s e d on W
4 ’ b0001 : Y = 2 ’ b00 ; / / 2 ’ b s i g n i f i e s a 2− b i t b i n a r y v a l u e
20 4 ’ b0010 : Y = 2 ’ b01 ; / / w[ 1 ] i s l i t up
/ / f i l l i n t h e c a s e where o n l y w[ 2 ] i s l i t up
22 4 ’ b1000 : Y = 2 ’ b11 ; / / w[ 3 ] i s l i t up
d e f a u l t : Y = 2 ’bXX ; / / d e f a u l t c o v e r s c a s e s n o t l i s t e d !
24 / / 2 ’ bXX means 2− b i t s o f don ’ t c a r e s !
e n d c a s e / / d e s i g n a t e s t h e end o f a c a s e s t a t e m e n t
26 end

28 endmodule

(d) Simulate the 4:2 binary encoder behavioral model with the appropriate test bench. Ensure the
UUT passes all of the tests and include a screenshot of the simulation waveform and console
output in your lab write-up.

2. Describe a Verilog model for the priority encoder discussed in the background section of this manual.

(a) Compare the case statement for the 2:4 binary encoder with Table 2. Notice the similarity
between the case statement and the truth table of the encoder. Essentially, the case statement
allows the designer to describe a circuits truth table directly in Verilog. Furthermore, we can
use a casex to include don’t cares on the left side of a truth table. These constructs make it easy
to describe a priority encoder. Use the code below as a starting point. Save the source file as
“priority encoder.v” and simulate it with the “priority encoder tb.v” test bench.
c a s e x (W)
4 ’ b0001 : Y = 2 ’ b00 ; / / 2 ’ b s i g n i f i e s a 2− b i t b i n a r y v a l u e
4 ’ b001X : Y = 2 ’ b01 ; / / w[ 1 ] i s l i t up
/ / f i l l i n t h e c a s e where o n l y w[ 2 ] i s l i t up
4 ’b1XXX : Y = 2 ’ b11 ; / / w[ 3 ] i s l i t up
d e f a u l t : Y = 2 ’bXX ; / / d e f a u l t c o v e r s c a s e s n o t l i s t e d !
endcase

4.3 Experiment 3
For the final experiment, we will actually put the designs we created in the previous experiment onto the
Spartan 3E board. We will make use of the switches, push-buttons, and LEDs built into the evaluation board

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14 Laboratory Exercise #7

to verify the functionality of those components. Please note that we have already performed a behavioral
simulation on those modules so we should have a high level of confidence that they will work properly.

1. Synthesize and Implement the two four decoder module. Then, program the Spartan 3E board with
the appropriate bit stream.

(a) From the Design window, change the view from “Simulation” to “Implementation.”
(b) Set the two four decoder module as the “Top Module” by right-clicking the module name and
selecting “Set As Top Module.” See screenshot below.

(c) Copy the “two four decoder.ucf” file from the course directory into your lab7 directory and add
it to your ISE project. This file is the User Constraint File (UCF), which the Xilinx tools use to
connect the ports of your design to the pins on the FPGA. The information contain within the
UCF was taken from the documentation that comes with the FPGA board.
(d) Double-click on “Generate Programming File” in the Processes window within ISE.
(e) Once complete, you should see green checks next to “Implement Design” and “Generate Pro-
gramming File” within the Process window as seen below. If your screen has red X’s, then an

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Laboratory Exercise #7 15

error has occurred. Use the console window to determine what error occurred and correct your
design accordingly.

(f) Up to this point, you have successfully synthesized and implemented your design. The program-
ming file has also been created. Turn the FPGA board on by flipping the power switch shown in
Figure 4. A red LED in the top-left corner of the board should illuminate indicating the board
is powered on. Once you see the LED light up, Double-click on “Configure Target Device” to
begin the programming phase.

(g) Immediately after selecting “Configure Target Device” a warning box will appear (shown below)
stating that no iMPACT project file exists. That is just fine so select “OK” in the dialog box.

(h) iMPACT, the ISE software tool that we will use to program our FPGA, will open up. Double-
click on “Boundary Scan” and right-click on the blue lettering in the center of the screen. Then
select “Initialize Chain.” See screenshot below.

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(i) Reprogrammable devices can be chained together using a common communication standard
known as JTAG. An explanation of JTAG is far beyond the scope of this lab; however you
should know that the chain that is being initialized is that of JTAG. iMPACT will now scan for
devices on JTAG chain. There are three devices connected to the JTAG chain. After the JTAG
chain has been scanned, a dialog box will appear asking if we would like to assign configuration
files to the devices on the chain (see below). We would like to do just that so select ‘Yes.’

(j) The FPGA is not the only device that can be programmed on the Spartan 3E board; however,
the Spartan 3E FPGA is all we will program in this lab. The first device on the chain will
be the FPGA. A browser window will appear such that you can select a configuration file for
the FPGA. Select “two four decode.bit,” which was generated during the implementation phase
earlier. Then hit “Open” to proceed.

(k) After selecting the configuration file for the FPGA, a dialog box shown below will appear ask-
ing if we would like to attach an SPI or BPI PROM to the FPGA. These are advance features
available on the FPGA board so we will not use them. Select “No” to continue.

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(l) For the next two devices, select “Bypass” when prompted to select a programming file. We will
not program these devices in this lab.
(m) Finally, a “Device Programming Properties” box will appear. We plan to leave all settings as
default so hit “OK” to proceed.

(n) Now within the iMPACT window, right-click on the FPGA part and select “Program” (see be-
low).

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(o) If the FPGA was programmed successfully, you should see “Program Succeeded” at the bottom
of the iMPACT window as seen below.

2. If you have reached this point in the lab manual, you have successfully program an FPGA! Now it is
time to see if our simple 2:4 binary decoder works!

(a) Open the UCF and examine the contents. Notice that the En is mapped to switch 2, while bits
1 and 0 of W are mapped to switch 1 and switch 0, respectively. The output bus, Y , has been
mapped to four of the LEDs.
(b) Flip these switches to change the status of the LEDs. Try all possible input combinations and
ensure the design is working properly. Create a truth table with SW2, SW1, and SW0 as inputs
and LED3, LED2, LED1, and LED0 as outputs. Demonstrate your progress to the TA once
you have found the design to work.
Note: Leave iMPACT open as we will use it for the remainder of the lab assignment.

3. Now program the FPGA with 4:2 binary encoder you simulated earlier.

(a) Repeat steps (a) through (e) above with the four two encoder using the “four two encoder.ucf”
file in the course directory.
(b) Instead of selecting “Configure Target Device” in ISE, return to iMPACT and right-click on the
FPGA (xc3s500e). Select “Assign New Configuration File...” Then choose “four two encoder.bit.”
(c) Now repeat steps (k) through (o) to finish programming the board.

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(d) For the encoder, the inputs have been mapped to the push-buttons. Open up the corresponding
UCF to verify this. Press the push-buttons on the Spartan 3E board and note that the LEDs
display a binary code based on the particular button being pressed. Likewise, ensure the zero
signal is working properly.
(e) Now press more than one button and note what is display on the LEDs.
4. Finally, use the above steps to load the priority encoder onto the FPGA using the “priority encoder.ucf”
file. The same button mapping exists for the priority encoder as the binary encoder so that you can
compare the two. Test out the priority encoder as you did the binary encoder and note the difference.
Demonstrate your progress to the TA once you have found the design to work.

5 Post-lab Deliverables
Please include the following items in your post-lab write-up in addition to the deliverables mentioned in the
Policies and Procedures document.
1. Include the source code with comments for all modules you simulated. You do not have to include
test bench code. Code without comments will not be accepted!
2. Include screenshots of all waveforms captured during simulation in addition to the test bench console
output for each test bench simulation.
3. Provide a comparison between behavioral Verilog used in this week’s lab and the structural and
dataflow Verilog used in last week’s lab. What might be the advantages and disadvantages of each.
4. Compare the process of bread-boarding digital circuit to implementing a digital circuit on an FPGA.
State some advantages and disadvantages of each. Which process do you prefer?

6 Important Student Feedback

The last part of lab requests your feedback. We are continually trying to improve the laboratory exercises
to enhance your learning experience, and we are unable to do so without your feedback. Please include the
following post-lab deliverables in your lab write-up.
Note: If you have any other comments regarding the lab that you wish to bring to your instructor’s attention,
please feel free to include them as well.
1. What did you like most about the lab assignment and why? What did you like least about it and why?
2. Were there any section of the lab manual that were unclear? If so, what was unclear? Do you have
any suggestions for improving the clarity?
3. What suggestions do you have to improve the overall lab assignment?

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