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FPGA Verification

FPGA Verification with HDL Verifier and HDL Coder

HDL Verifier™ works with Simulink® or MATLAB® and HDL Coder™ and the supported FPGA development environment to prepare your automatically generated HDL code for implementation in an FPGA. FPGA-in-the-Loop (FIL) simulation allows you to run a Simulink or MATLAB simulation with an FPGA board strictly synchronized with this software. This process lets you get real world data into your design while accelerating your simulation with the speed of an FPGA.

You can generate a FIL programming file in one of the following ways:

  • With the HDL Verifier FIL Wizard.

  • With the HDL Coder Workflow Advisor.

The FIL Wizard uses any synthesizable HDL code including code automatically generated from Simulink models by HDL Coder software. When you use FIL in the Workflow Advisor, HDL Coder uses the loaded design to create the HDL code. Either way, this HDL code is then augmented by customized code for FIL communication with your design and assembled into an FPGA project. The applicable downstream tools are used to process that project to create a programming file that is automatically downloaded to the FPGA device on a development board for verification.

HDL Verifier supports the use of a FIL block in a referenced model and a System object™ in conjunction with a MATLAB program.

Product Features and Platform Support

Product FeatureRequired ProductsRecommended ProductsSupported Platforms
FPGA-in-the-LoopFor FIL simulation with MATLAB: MATLAB, Fixed-Point Designer™

For FIL simulation with Simulink:
Simulink, Fixed-Point Designer		HDL CoderWindows® 64-bit; Linux® 64-bit

Preregistered FPGA Devices for FIL Simulation

HDL Verifier supports FIL simulation on the devices as described in Supported FPGA Devices for FPGA Verification. The FPGA board support packages contain the definition files for all supported boards. You may download one or more vendor-specific packages, but you must download one of the packages before you can use FIL or customize your own board definition file using the New FPGA Board Wizard (see Create Custom FPGA Board Definition).

To see the list of HDL Verifier support packages, visit HDL Verifier Supported Hardware. To download an FPGA board support package:

  • On the MATLAB Home tab, in the Environment section, click Add-Ons > Get Hardware Support Packages.