Question : Problem: Configable processor implemented on FPGA board

For a university mid-term project I have to design a configurable processor, to write the code in VHDL and then synthesize it on a Spartan 3E FPGA board from Digilent. Can you point me to some information about configurable processors, to some ideas related to the concept?

Answer : Problem: Configable processor implemented on FPGA board

Sounds like a fun project - wish I had the time to do it!

The toys available for this kind of thing are amazing - back in the old days engineering students had to build coal-burning processors and use steam to drive the ALUs - we also had to walk five miles through the snow to do it....(that was before the 4004, the 8008, the 8080 or the Z-80, you know).

The Xlinx system contains the ingredients for a processor - ALU's, registers, I/O, etc. as well as a 'recipe' for putting them together into a 'MicroBlaze' processor.

Here's a VERY basic reference:

http://www.circuitcellar.com/library/print/0502/2.asp

And a more advanced location:

http://www.mydatabasesupport.com/forums/arch/353962-getting-started-guide-digilent-spartan-3e-starter-board.html

And, of course, the user guide to the Spartan board is here:

http://www.xilinx.com/support/documentation/boards_and_kits/ug230.pdf

but you should have a copy already.

Here's another site that be useful:

http://www.enterpoint.co.uk/techitips/techitips.html

And the Webpack software for doing the grunt work is here:

http://www.xilinx.com/ise/logic_design_prod/webpack.htm

Have fun!

wb