FPGA Fans, This One’s for You

NEWSLETTER February 2025 Shop Blog Forum About Turns Out, FPGA Is Still the Best Place to Start FPGA design brings digital logic into real hardware, where timing closure, clock domains, I/O standards, and physical interfaces shape system behavior beyond what simulation can show. Our new FPGA Basics Series moves from foundational logic and FSMs on Basys 3 and Nexys A7 to system‑level design and HW/SW integration on Zynq‑based platforms, demonstrating how a unified toolchain supports growth from simple designs to full embedded systems.  Digilent Pmods make it easy to expand your FPGA with sensors, displays, communication interfaces, and more, no messy wiring required. Just plug in a Pmod and start prototyping real hardware functionality in minutes. Our free FPGA Guide breaks down core concepts from logic fundamentals to system‑ level design in a clear, academic‑friendly format. It’s a great reference for anyone working with Basys 3, Nexys A7, or Zynq‑based boards. Can a soft-core processor run an AI chat? This project from Pablo at ControlPaths.com shows how to enable an AI chat on the Digilent Arty A7‑35T using MicroBlaze, Linux, and a cloud‑based AI API with no local model required. The post includes a step‑by‑step walkthrough and a demo video showing the AI chat running live on the board. Read the Full Project Can a soft‑core processor run a hardware counter? This Hackster project walks through implementing a MicroBlaze MCS soft‑core processor on the Basys 3 to drive a four‑digit seven‑segment counter entirely in C. It’s a great example of bridging HDL and embedded software on an FPGA, showing how a lightweight soft processor can control real hardware in a simple, elegant design. Explore the Project Join us on February 25 for a webinar highlighting ADS Max as a platform for multidisciplinary engineering and biomedical coursework, featuring a platform overview and live demos from the LabScribe ADS curriculum. Register for Webinar Can’t attend live? No problem. The webinar will be recorded, and a recording will be sent to all registrants after the event. NI Connect May 12–14 in Fort Worth, featuring keynotes and academic presentations across engineering and test. Learn More Digilent, c/o NI attn: PBU Operations 11500 North Mopac Expressway, Austin, Texas 78759, United States Copyright 2024 Digilent