Work

FPGA hardware Drivers and Interface

FPGA
GoLang
Preact js
C++
Hardware
System Programming

Developed software to directly communicate with FPGA hardware registers by writing drivers in C++ and interfacing with Golang for developer-friendly API.

FPGA hardware Drivers and Interface.

Bridging FPGA Hardware and Modern Web: A Comprehensive Software Solution

Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) are known for their adaptability and efficiency in executing parallel operations. Communicating with FPGA hardware registers, however, can be daunting, often demanding low-level programming and a deep understanding of the hardware. This project’s goal was to bridge the gap between FPGA hardware and end-users, ensuring seamless communication, usability, and performance.

1. C++ Drivers for FPGA Hardware Communication

Given the performance-critical nature of FPGA communications, C++ was chosen for its efficiency and close-to-the-metal capabilities. The drivers had the following characteristics:

  • Register-Level Access: The drivers were designed to access individual registers on the FPGA, ensuring granular control.

  • Optimized for Performance: Leveraging C++‘s efficiency, the drivers ensured minimal latency. Memory operations were carefully managed to avoid leaks and overruns.

  • Modular and Scalable: Each FPGA operation (e.g., read, write, reset) was modularized to allow easy extensibility in the future.

2. Golang Interface for Developer-Friendly API

While C++ handled low-level operations, Golang was utilized to abstract these operations into a developer-friendly API. The reasons behind this choice were:

  • Concurrency: Golang’s inherent concurrency support through goroutines made it apt for handling multiple concurrent requests to the FPGA hardware.

  • CGO Integration: Using CGO, Golang can interface seamlessly with C++ code. This was pivotal in bridging the low-level drivers with the high-level API.

  • Simplicity and Performance: Golang provided a good trade-off between ease of development and performance.

The API exposed endpoints for operations like reading from specific FPGA registers, writing data, and fetching status. It also handled error scenarios, ensuring that developers received informative feedback.

3. React.js UI: Bridging End-Users and FPGA

For end-users, understanding FPGA operations can be complex. The project aimed to provide a seamless, intuitive interface via a web application built on React.js:

  • Component-Based Design: Using React’s component structure, the UI was modular, allowing developers to easily add new functionalities or modify existing ones.

  • Real-Time Feedback: React’s state management ensured that users received real-time feedback on their operations. For example, reading a value from an FPGA register would immediately reflect on the UI.

  • Responsive and Intuitive: Leveraging modern web design principles, the UI was made responsive, ensuring compatibility across devices.

4. Custom JavaScript Libraries for Complex Mathematical Formulas

FPGA operations often involve intricate mathematical calculations. Instead of relying solely on back-end computations, the project developed custom JavaScript libraries to handle these calculations client-side:

  • Efficiency: Running these computations on the client side reduced the load on the server and provided quicker feedback to users.

  • Modularity: Each mathematical function or formula was modularized as a separate function within the library. This ensured that future formulas or modifications could be integrated easily.

  • Integration with React: The libraries were built to integrate seamlessly with the React ecosystem. For instance, the results from these computations could directly update React states, ensuring the UI was always in sync.

In conclusion, the project was a comprehensive endeavor to make FPGA communications intuitive for developers and end-users alike. Through judicious technology choices - C++ for low-level operations, Golang for API abstraction, and React.js for user interface - the solution effectively bridged the worlds of FPGA hardware and modern web. The addition of custom JavaScript libraries further showcased the commitment to performance and user experience, ensuring that even complex mathematical computations felt effortless to the end-user.