FPGA-enabled instrumentation

摘要

FPGAs are reprogrammable silicon chips that can be configured to implement custom hardware functionality without having to pick up a breadboard or soldering iron. Traditional software tools such as VHDL have made programming FPGAs a complex task; preventing many people from accessing this technology. New tools are emerging that enable the programming of FPGAs without any background in hardware design. National Instruments' LabVIEW is a high-level graphical development tool, which via the LabVIEW FPGA Module, allows users to directly program FPGAs. This gives domain experts the ability to quickly implement FPGA-based systems, meaning time can be focused on algorithm development.