Digital electronics

The ESA Institute offers experience in the following areas of expertise:

• In contrast to classic microprocessors and microcontrollers, FPGAs offer an elegant way to operate fast I/O signals on many channels very precisely. For example, with the Spartan 6 chip from Xilinx and an inexpensive development kit. By adding a customer-specific board and programming the processes accordingly, we were able to evaluate and improve the behavior of an ASIC (Application-Specific Intergrated Circuit) long before the tape-out.
• FPGAs are also particularly suitable for fast and parallel signal processing, as in the STEVRADS project with the Swiss Space Center. This involves the low-cost yet reliable 3D detection of scrap in space as part of an “Uncooperative Rendezvous and Docking”. Several low-cost CMOS cameras from the cell phone sector are read out simultaneously by the FPGA and the images are examined in real time for distinctive image elements. The distance can be calculated based on the different positions of the detected points per camera.
• The potential can be dramatically increased, especially by combining FPGA “custom logic” with dual-core 32-bit ARM integration and fast connections via AXI buses. For example, the processor runs Linux with Ethernet and USB connectivity, while the FPGA handles communication with fast A/D converters, data storage and real-time FFT.
• Although there are countless tutorials and examples on these topics on the Internet, experience shows that it is not quite that simple. By using it in the classroom, we now know its strengths and weaknesses and can therefore advise our customers (and students) much better. We use both VHDL and Verilog to configure the logic and simulate with ModelSim.
• For signal tracing and debugging on the FPGA itself, Intel/Altera has clearly prevailed over other solutions with the “SignalTap” tool under “Quartus II”. In addition to the desired logic, a logic analyzer is also integrated into the FGPA, which then saves the desired signals in free RAM on the FPGA and can then be conveniently displayed on the PC via JTAG/USB.