TomHayes3 (preview ​here

DigitalLabs

Arduino

• ​Arduino
  • ​Arduino Uno R3
  • ​Arduino Class
  • ​Diavolino

​starter pack

• ArduinoTricks

• ArduinoProjects

Xilinx FPGA Materials

• ​Digilent

​Details

• $49 each (student price)
• Pros: USB-downloading built in, simple, cheap, complete, has VGA video port and PS-2 keyboard port
• Has 4 expansion connectors for DACs, ADCs etc
• Cons: no analog I/O or RAM except 8kB on FPGA

• ​PMOD add-on boards
  • DAC and ADC boards are around $20 each, many other functions are available
• ​ISE WebPACK
• ​Xilinx Programmable Logic Design Quick Start Guide

Project Ideas

• Using BASYS board with ADC/DAC modules (or equivalent)
  • 'Digital Voltmeter. Display on 4-digit display. Could use a programmable-gain amplifier (i.e. AD524) on proto board for multi-range.
  • 'Frequency Counter
  • 'Function Generator (using DAC for output)
  • 'Simple Oscilloscope using VGA video output. This is a challenge because of the limited memory available in the XC3S100E FPGA (not enough for a 640x480 bitmap).

Other References

• ​http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/