FPGA Computer Covers A to Z

[F4HDK] calls his new computer A2Z because he built everything from scratch (literally, from A to Z). Well, strictly speaking, he did start with an FPGA, but you have to have some foundation. The core CPU is a 16-bit RISC processor with a 24-bit address bus and a 128-word cache. The computer sports 2 megabytes of RAM, a boot ROM, a VGA port and keyboard, and some other useful I/O. The CPU development uses Verilog.

Software-wise, the computer has a simple operating system, a filesystem, and basic programs like a text editor and an image viewer. Development software includes an assembler and a compiler for a BASIC-like language that resides on the PC. You can also run an emulator to experiment with A2Z without hardware. You can see a “car game” running on A2Z in the video below. You can also see videos of some other applications.

The game shows off the VGA double buffering. Many FPGA developers develop “clone” CPUs so they can leverage development tools and software. A2Z is a unique design and we’ve rarely seen a custom CPU that has such a wide range of tools and applications.

We’ve talked about the difficulties of developing your own infrastructure around a custom CPU before. We’ve also covered some of our CPUs (don’t forget part two).

Filed under: computer hacks, FPGA

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