First of all, did you know what VHDL is? For your information, VHDL is commonly known as a design-entry language for field-programmable gate arrays and application-specific integrated circuits in electronic design automation of digital circuits. VHDL is derived from VHSIC hardware description language, where VHSIC stands for “Very-high-speed-integrated circuit”.

Based on the information, VHDL was originally developed at the US Department of Defense. The main purpose of the mission is to document the behavior of the ASICs that supplier companies were including in equipment. This means, VHDL was developed as an alternative to huge, complex manuals, which were subject to implementation-specific details.

Well, this NES On-A-Chip’s main goal is to implement an older embedded system entirely in VHDL. In this case, you might want to choose the NES, as its complexity and variety of subsystems. The whole idea is to prove that chips can be modeled in VHDL and synthesized on an FPGA. Furthermore, it can be used to replace, either single ICs in old systems or the systems themselves.

You have to prepare the Altera UP3 development board to implement the design. In addition, you must use an Intronix LogicPort USB logic analyzer as well.

You’re working in the electronic field that require you to observe and check out the digital system with precision, but you didn’t know the proper way to build it? If you’re having the difficulty, then today’s your lucky day, as we’re going to develop a 32 Channel Logic Analyzer!

For those who never get in touch with logic analyzer before, it is an electronic instrument displays signals in a digital circuit. Practically, they’re used for capturing data in systems, which is having too many channels to be examined with an oscilloscope. The software that running on the logic analyzer can be used to convert the captured data into timing diagrams, protocol decodes, assembly language and much more.

For your information, the logic analyzer that we’re building today is a 32 channels with 4K sample memory up to 100HMz and 16 channels up to 200MHz. Beside that, it included Java client application and allows waveform exploration (As well as SPI and I2C protocol analysis). The project has been optimized, so that it can run on the Butterfly Platform hardware without problem.

The logic analyzer is building on a FPGA technology, but it has the downfall, where it can only sample 1.2V, 2.5V and 3.3V. Hence, please keep in mind that any higher voltages can damage the input pins of the FPGA!

You can’t get enough with the current electronic bench test instrument and you’re wishing for a more powerful multifunction bench tester? Then, you’re the lucky person, as today you’ll have the chance to look into this Multifunctional “Mega Meter”…

For your information, this Mega Meter is based on an ATMega128, where the microcontroller programming is fully done under GCC 3.2 and the PC interface was being programmed by using VB 6.

If you refer to the above figure, you can see that there are many electronic components have been used here, such as:

1. Two 0-10 VDC voltmeters (The basic ADC inputs),
2. A 0 – 30 VDC Hi-Z autoranging voltmeter with x10 jumper to give 0 -300 VDC range,
3. A 0 – 3 Amps high side ammeter,
4. 4 channel logic analyzer,
5. Frequency generator (The frequency can be adjusted by modifying the value in OCR1A),
6. Frequency counter (It uses 16 bit TCNT3 in external clock mode to count incoming pulses),
7. Waveform generator that based on a MAX038.

Beside that, the board also includes the RS-232 interface, ISP interface, 14.7 MHz crystal, 5V supply and much more. However, all the included functions can be implemented on lower level devices, although it’s not at the same time! This Mega Meter is what you’re looking for, so don’t waste your time anymore. It’s time to kickstart the project right now…

Ok, you’ve completed your latest logic circuit design and now what? Well, you’ll probably want to build a prototype to test its operation. A common logic probe is more than enough, if the circuit is not complex; otherwise, you’ll require one or more complex driving signals to exercises its operation, then you need a more powerful testing tool here!

No matter you’re home hobbyists or experimenters, you might want to build the super cool Mini Logic Analyzer. This Mini Logic Analyzer is a simple and cheap logic analyzer, where it has up to 32 channels, 128Kb of memory for each channel, sampling rate up to 100 MHz, external clock input, external trigger input and much more.

The mini logic analyzer consists of a hardware, software and firmware interface. The interface will buffer the signals that are sent from the computer’s parallel port to the circuit to be tested. Beside that, it buffers the signals that are returned from the circuit to the computer and shifts their voltage levels, where it to make it compatible with the PC’s logic levels.

The analyzer incorporates two basic functional blocks, where as:

1. A transistor buffer or inverter section; and
2. An analog switch section that feeds voltage comparators.

This mini logic analyzer also has a LED tester, where it is a simple firmware created in order to test the functionality of mini logic analyzer hardware!

Most of you must have heard about logic analyzer before, but have you ever built a FPGA-based Logic Analyzer?

If you don’t know what the FPGA is, then you need to stick with us and read on the article. For your information, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is a semiconductor device that can be configured by the customer or designer after manufacturing, and that’s why it got the name “field-programmable.” To program an FPGA, you will need to specify how you want the chip to work with a logic circuit diagram or a source code in a hardware description language (HDL) first.

The FPGAs can be a very useful electronic component for implementing any logical function that an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) could perform. Furthermore, FPGAs contain programmable logic components called “logic blocks”, and a hierarchy of reconfigurable interconnects that allow the block to be wired together without any hassle at all. Logic block can be configured to perform complex combinational functions too!

Therefore, when you applied the FPGA into the logic analyzer, it would turn into a powerful tool that will benefit you in the end. What are you waiting for? Let get into the project and start the fun right now!