Time to Digital Converter

Hi all,

I can do the coding for TDC and download it into FPGA board (MAX V for example). However, how can I customize the design and make the end device look like this for example:

https://www.cronologic.de/products/time_measurement/tdc/

Thank you

dear read its manual (from the web page you pointed out).
you must have to design a PCB for the purpose.
where you can input multi channel pulses to measure there time difference.

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you can also use GPX IC for the same purpose.

Thanks for your response.

What skills, tools, etc, do I need to design a PCB? How can I convert a MAX V FPGA board (for example) to what it looks in the webpage I pointed out in my previous post?

Well i think i can answer myself now, pls correct me if im wrong. There is difference between fpga device and fpga development board. fpga device is like squared chip with pins for i/o as well as for jtag programming. i can lay the chip out in the pcb board and use the jtag pins to program the fpga. fpga board usually used for study purpose. Am i right?

AymKar said:

Thanks for your response.

What skills, tools, etc, do I need to design a PCB? How can I convert a MAX V FPGA board (for example) to what it looks in the webpage I pointed out in my previous post?

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A relavent degree and some years industry experience. Plus a lot of money for the licences.

Much easier and cheaper just to buy a dev board.

AymKar said:

Well i think i can answer myself now, pls correct me if im wrong. There is difference between fpga device and fpga development board. fpga device is like squared chip with pins for i/o as well as for jtag programming. i can lay the chip out in the pcb board and use the jtag pins to program the fpga. fpga board usually used for study purpose. Am i right?

Click to expand...

Based on this response which puts your knowledge at below the minimum required to design an FPGA based PCB...

TrickyDicky said:

A relavent degree and some years industry experience. Plus a lot of money for the licences.

Much easier and cheaper just to buy a dev board.

Click to expand...

Tricky's response is probably better for you, leverage a dev board and forget about doing your own design. You likely need to be mentored by a senior board designer to be able to deal with all the issues that come up when doing an FPGA board. Unless you plan on using a glorified CPLD type FPGA with limited speed and resources, any modern FPGA will require multiple power suplies with different voltages from likely 0.9V to 3.3V with extremely low ripple and lots of Amps of current along with multiple layers perhaps as many as 16 if you are using high speed interfaces to the FPGA, which is likely as you are planning on doing a Video design (unless you plan on using an antiquated 320x240 display).

ads-ee said:

Tricky's response is probably better for you, leverage a dev board and forget about doing your own design. You likely need to be mentored by a senior board designer to be able to deal with all the issues that come up when doing an FPGA board. Unless you plan on using a glorified CPLD type FPGA with limited speed and resources, any modern FPGA will require multiple power suplies with different voltages from likely 0.9V to 3.3V with extremely low ripple and lots of Amps of current along with multiple layers perhaps as many as 16 if you are using high speed interfaces to the FPGA, which is likely as you are planning on doing a Video design (unless you plan on using an antiquated 320x240 display).

Click to expand...

What do you mean by glorified CPLD?

I designed several algorithms in the past and I wrote Verilog code for them. I downloaded the code into Cyclone II FPGA board and observed the output in a Tekronix device. However, I am still puzzled how can I make my own PCB. I think my question is clear now. How can obtain my FPGA customized board?

AymKar said:

What do you mean by glorified CPLD?

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An FPGA with 1 or 2 voltage rails (i.e. core and I/O), limited internal memory (i.e. usually only one type of block ram), no DSPs, no advanced clocking resources (i.e. no PLLs, MMCMs, etc). Basically any FPGA that is little more than a CPLD, but with less timing predictability.

I designed several algorithms in the past and I wrote Verilog code for them. I downloaded the code into Cyclone II FPGA board and observed the output in a Tekronix device.

Click to expand...

Well doing the above is not the same as designing a PCB, which is probably why you are "puzzled" about making a PCB.

• First you'll need to buy or find a free schematic capture package
• then create your FPGA component in that package (as it likely does not already exist)
• generate a netlist of the final schematic
• import the netlist into a PCB design package (you'll have to find a free one or buy one)
• determine the layer count and the stackup
• place the components
• route the design (avoid free autoroute tools, they will do a poor job) using the PCB manufactures design rules.
• generate gerber files
• select a PCB manufacturer and upload the gerbers to them
• get a response back that tells you you F'd up the design (being your first PCB design) and didn't follow their design rules.

without someone to review your schematic, review your stackup, review your placement, review your routing, review your design rules, you'll probably end up with a PCB that doesn't work. This is especially true if you have no board design experience in the first place.

Thank you for your answer.

ads-ee said:

• then create your FPGA component in that package (as it likely does not already exist)

Do you mean I go to view the Netlist from the netlist viewer (RTL viewer) in Quartus I (This is just to see the connection between the login elements of my circuit), then, using the connections map I can make the PCB design with Altium (for example?

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Well after reading this:

https://techdocs.altium.com/display...+of+the+FPGA+Component+on+the+Schematic+Sheet

I think I was right when I said there's FPGA device and FPGA development board. After design verification on FPGA board an engineer can use FPGA device to link it with PCB using Altium. Am I right?