Book excerpt: All the design and development inspiration and direction a harware engineer needs in one blockbuster book! Clive "Max" Maxfield renowned author, columnist, and editor of PL DesignLine has selected the very best FPGA design material from the Newnes portfolio and has compiled it into this volume. The result is a book covering the gamut of FPGA design from design fundamentals to optimized layout techniques with a strong pragmatic emphasis. In addition to specific design techniques and practices, this book also discusses various approaches to solving FPGA design problems and how to successfully apply theory to actual design tasks. The material has been selected for its timelessness as well as for its relevance to contemporary FPGA design issues.ContentsChapter 1 Alternative FPGA ArchitecturesChapter 2 Design Techniques, Rules, and GuidelinesChapter 3 A VHDL Primer: The EssentialsChapter 4 Modeling MemoriesChapter 5 Introduction to Synchronous State Machine Design and AnalysisChapter 6 Embedded ProcessorsChapter 7 Digital Signal ProcessingChapter 8 Basics of Embedded Audio ProcessingChapter 9 Basics of Embedded Video and Image ProcessingChapter 10 Programming Streaming FPGA Applications Using Block Diagrams In SimulinkChapter 11 Ladder and functional block programmingChapter 12 Timers - Hand-picked content selected by Clive "Max" Maxfield, character, luminary, columnist, and author - Proven best design practices for FPGA development, verification, and low-power - Case histories and design examples get you off and running on your current project