FPGA Begginer

Hang around comp.arch.fpga for a while; read the archives if you can get to them. The ratio of fine to dross is somewhat better than average.

Download (warning, these are BIG downloads) the development software from Xilinx, Altera, or Lattice (ed. note: any other freebies?). These all, AFAIK, include some form of simulation software so that you can get familiar with a hardware description language (VHDL or Verilog) and the build process. Xilinx is the ISE WebPACK , Altera has the Quartus II Web Edition

and Lattice, I'm sure, has something as well but they do make it hard to find from their front page. I quit looking.

There are some tutorials and such over at

There are open-source simulators for both Verilog and VHDL. Both seem to work well, but nothing comes with synthesis tools -- the FPGA vendors seem to keep tight hold of that stuff.

Make sure you understand digital electronics. The process for coming up with FPGA firmware bears an enormous number of superficial similarities to programming microprocessors, but under the hood it's an entirely different endeavor. It's kind of like building airplanes vs. building cars -- both involve engines and wheels and sheet metal, yet each is it's own discipline.

When you're writing code for synthesis for an FPGA you're describing hardware -- it's really easy to forget that and start writing code like you're doing it for a microprocessor, and then you end up using the resources at hand very inefficiently.

but

I'd suggest additionally the free simulation packages: for VHDL the GHDL:

-- Wojtek Zabolotny snipped-for-privacy@ise.pw.edu.pl

but

Hah! Those are the ones I was talking about -- I've used both of them, and if _all_ you're going to do is simulation then they're pretty nice.