Course Information

Class Description:

This class focuses on the proper use of the Verilog Language (2001 plus System Verilog extensions) for describing digital designs as well as development of a standard cell ASIC design environment.

Class Objective:

At the completion of this class, each student should be able to:

• describe a hierarchical digital design using the synthesizible subset of Verilog.
• use HDL simulation tools to trace down design errors (bugs).
• write a reasonable set of synthesis constraints.
• create digital designs that conform to generally accepted standards of robust digital design.

Class Environment:

You may work in groups on homework and projects if you wish. Sharing of design approaches, philosophy, block diagrams or coding ideas is strongly suggested. However, sharing of detailed information such as state machine diagrams, or actual code is not approved and will meet with the strongest action that I can bring.

A mail reflector (or group, list) for the class will be established by the beginning of class. The mailgroup is how I communicate with you outside the classroom. It can also be used as an interactive forum where you discuss problems and solutions. Such usage is encouraged.

Students who register early for ECE474/574 are automatically added to the class mail list. You will be added to the list later if you register late. In either case, you should be added to the list within a day or so.

The name of the class mail list is: ece474-sp15@engr.NOSPAM.edu This name is case sensitive. You know what to put in place of "NOSPAM".

Obtaining Course Slides

Slides are most easily obtained by using wget or curl.

For example:
wget http://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~traylor/ece474/lecture_verilog/beamer/asics.pdf
OR
curl http://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~traylor/ece474/lecture_verilog/beamer/asics.pdf -O

Quizzes

Weekly or bi-weekly quizzes may be given. During these quizzes, no questions are to be asked. If you do not understand something in the quiz, state your assumptions and proceed.

Computing Environment

I will expect all students to have access to a laptop to use in class. I hope to use them for in-class exercises. You will need to be able to tunnel an X11 application to your laptop and to access a Bash shell prompt from your laptop. These two things can be done in a variety of ways.

• X Tunneling on Windows:
  Run an X11 Application on Windows
• X Tunneling on Mac OS X:
  Install XQuartz if not already installed. XQuartz
  From Terminal app prompt: ssh -Y -l [username] [machine]
  Invoke program.
• Tunneling on Ubuntu:
  Install SSH if its not installed already.
  From the command prompt: ssh -Y -l [username] [machine]
  Invoke program.