Tutorials

From Casper

IBOB

• IBOB Tutorial - Blinking Lights with Simulink
• ADC/IBOB Tutorial - ADC snapshot tutorial, with example model file.
• IBOB + Logic Analyzer Tutorial - plus bad jokes!

BEE2

• BEE Tutorial - Using Registers and getting started with BORPH

ROACH

• Roach Tutorial - From Simulink to BOF file execution.
• ROACH 10GbE tutorial - Using 10GbE for data readout.

Workshop 2009 Tutorials

The tutorials at the 2009 CASPER workshop are as follows:

Each tutorial folder includes a pdf walkthrough of the design, the Simulink design model file, a pre-compiled bof file for loading onto a ROACH board and any required software.

In addition, David George will give a presentation on constructing "yellow blocks", the hardware interfaces. This will be in the form of an interface to the original CASPER iADC. Included is an overview of hardware blocks in Simulink and an overview of OPB/EPB busses.

Introduction

<COMPLETE> Introduction to Simulink, communication with FPGAs. Build a simple program that flashes LEDs, counts and adds numbers on demand, captures raw ADC data. Communicate with ROACH's FPGA using the PPC's BORPH operating system. Prerequisites: just your enthusiastic self!

[Model and Walkthrough]

10GbE, KATCP

<10GbE BROKEN - recompile with XILINX PHY> <DOC OUTSTANDING> Construct a design that transmits a counter over 10GbE to another ROACH port. During this tutorial, you will learn more about the CASPER hardware interfaces, communicating with ROACH remotely using KATCP and the supplied Python libraries. Prerequisites: Introduction tutorial (we expect conceptual understanding of software registers and PPC/FPGA mapped memory regions along with some basic Simulink experience). Also useful, but not required, is some experience in programming in Python.

[Model and Walkthrough]

Wideband spectrometer

<DESIGN FAILS TIMING> <SOFTWARE OUTSTANDING> Build a 512MHz "wideband" spectrometer with 2048 FFT channels on ROACH. This will introduce the ADC boards, the CASPER DSP libraries including the wideband PFB and FFT blocks as well as demonstrate the use of vector accumulators, shared BRAMs and readout through the PPC's 1GbE port. We will make use of KATCP for remote control of the ROACHes using Python libraries to plot the output. Prerequisites: tutorials 1 and 2.

[Model and Walkthrough]

Narrowband pocket correlator

<DESIGN FROM ALAN, Else WIDEBAND version is working and complete with control software> Build a 250MHz, 1024 channel single board correlator on ROACH. This tutorial demonstrates the use of CASPER's digital downmix and filter blocks, along with the narrowband biplexed PFB and FFT blocks. Data is accumulated on the FPGA and output through the PPC's 1GbE port and displayed remotely using KATCP. Prerequisites: tutorials 1 and 2.

[Model and Walkthrough]

High resolution spectrometer

<DESIGN AND DOC FROM DAVE> Build a 500MHz, 1 million channel spectrometer on a single ROACH board. This tutorial demonstrates advanced use of the PFB and FFT blocks, some DSP concepts, along with the ROACH's DRAM for large-scale accumulation. Prerequisites: tutorials 1 and 2 plus either 3 or 4.

[Model, Walkthrough and Docs]

Simulink

• Simulink Tutorial - Simulink Mask Scripting (embedded video)

Other Resources

• Xilinx Teaching Materials