[SOLVED] Design Constraints, where to start?

[keyboardcowboy]

How does one go about applying design constraints. I am done with design and testing, now I would like to apply constraints with no particular limit just have to find the best operating frequency combined with power and area. How should I start?

 

[sharath666]

You have to know the frequency at which your design should work at. Once you know that you have to specify the clock frequency as a constraint. Apart from that you can specify the false path constraints. You can then specify the input/output delay constraints. You can find more info from the design guide about the constraint syntax.

 

[keyboardcowboy]

Is it possible to find the maximum frequency a design can operate at after making it?

 

[sharath666]

If you can determine the exact delays of all the combinational elements in the worst path of the design along with the clk->Q delay of the launch flop and the setup time of the capture flop then you can determine the max frequency. Else synthesize with a random frequency and see the results and then adjust your constraints accordingly.