01e297c89be8130107627e754bdc34a0924c3b7d
[litex.git] / README
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6 Copyright 2012-2015 / EnjoyDigital
7 florent@enjoy-digital.fr
8
9 A small footprint and configurable embedded FPGA
10 logic analyzer core by EnjoyDigital
11
12 [> Intro
13 ---------
14 LiteScope is small footprint and configurable embedded logic analyzer that you
15 can use in your FPGA and aims to provide a a free, portable and flexible
16 alternatve to vendor's solutions!
17
18 LiteScope is part of LiteX libraries whose aims is to lower entry level of complex
19 FPGA IP cores by providing simple, elegant and efficient implementations of
20 components used in today's SoC such as Ethernet, SATA, PCIe, SDRAM Controller...
21
22 The core uses simple and specific streaming buses and will provides in the future
23 adapters to use standardized AXI or Avalon-ST streaming buses.
24
25 Since Python is used to describe the HDL, the core is highly and easily
26 configurable.
27
28 LiteScope uses technologies developed in partnership with M-Labs Ltd:
29 - Migen enables generating HDL with Python in an efficient way.
30 - MiSoC provides the basic blocks to build a powerful and small footprint SoC.
31
32 LiteScope can be used as a Migen/MiSoC library (by simply installing it
33 with the provided setup.py) or can be integrated with your standard design flow
34 by generating the verilog rtl that you will use as a standard core.
35
36 LiteScope produces "vcd" files that can be read in your regular waveforms viewer.
37
38 Since LiteScope also provides a UART <--> Wishbone brige so you only need 2
39 external Rx/Tx pins to be ready to debug or control all your Wishbone peripherals!
40
41 [> Features
42 -----------
43 - IO peek and poke with LiteScopeIO
44 - Logic analyser with LiteScopeLA:
45 - Various triggering modules: Term, Range, Edge (add yours! :)
46 - Run Length Encoder to "compress" data and increase recording depth
47 - Data storage in block rams
48
49 [> Possibles improvements
50 -------------------------
51 - add standardized interfaces (AXI, Avalon-ST)
52 - add storage in DRAM
53 - add storage in HDD with LiteSATA core (to be released soon!)
54 - add Ethernet Wishbone bridge
55 - add PCIe Wishbone bridge with LitePCIe (to be released soon!)
56 - ... See below Support and Consulting :)
57
58 If you want to support these features, please contact us at florent [AT]
59 enjoy-digital.fr. You can also contact our partner on the public mailing list
60 devel [AT] lists.m-labs.hk.
61
62
63 [> Getting started
64 ------------------
65 1. Install Python3 and your vendor's software
66
67 2. Obtain Migen and install it:
68 git clone https://github.com/m-labs/migen
69 cd migen
70 python3 setup.py install
71 cd ..
72
73 3. Obtain MiSoC:
74 git clone https://github.com/m-labs/misoc --recursive
75 XXX add setup.py to MiSoC for external use of misoclib?
76
77 4. Obtain LiteScope
78 git clone https://github.com/enjoy-digital/litescope
79
80 5. Build and load test design:
81 python3 make.py -s [platform] all
82 Supported platforms are the one altready supported by Mibuild:
83 de0nano, m1, mixxeo, kc705, zedboard...
84
85 6. Test design:
86 go to ./test directory and run:
87 python3 test_io.py
88 python3 test_la.py
89
90 [> Simulations:
91 XXX convert simulations
92
93 [> Tests :
94 XXX convert tests
95
96 [> License
97 -----------
98 LiteScope is released under the very permissive two-clause BSD license. Under the
99 terms of this license, you are authorized to use LiteScope for closed-source
100 proprietary designs.
101 Even though we do not require you to do so, those things are awesome, so please
102 do them if possible:
103 - tell us that you are using LiteScope
104 - cite LiteScope in publications related to research it has helped
105 - send us feedback and suggestions for improvements
106 - send us bug reports when something goes wrong
107 - send us the modifications and improvements you have done to LiteScope.
108
109 [> Support and Consulting
110 --------------------------
111 We love open-source hardware and like sharing our designs with others.
112
113 LiteScope is developed and maintained by EnjoyDigital.
114
115 If you would like to know more about LiteScope or if you are already a happy user
116 and would like to extend it for your needs, EnjoyDigital can provide standard
117 commercial support as well as consulting services.
118
119 So feel free to contact us, we'd love to work with you! (and eventually shorten
120 the list of the possible improvements :)
121
122 [> Contact
123 E-mail: florent [AT] enjoy-digital.fr