Computer Architecture Lab/SS2011/Leros

An FPGA optimized tiny processor core for utility functions (e.g., SW UART). The challenge is to get the resources below 500 LC and use just 2 RAM blocks. The processor is named after the Greek island Leros where the architecture was designed.

Leros is available at GitHub https://github.com/schoeberl/leros
A paper describing the basic architecture https://github.com/schoeberl/leros/blob/master/doc/leros.pdf?raw=true

Target

Tiny design (less than 500 LC and maximum 2 RAM blocks)
Run 100 on the DE2-70 board

Design Blog

A blog on the Leros implementation. Let's record how long it actually takes to get it running. The design has already been done (on a paper notebook) during a nice vacation in Greece in 2010. However, some details (most prominent the ISA definition) still needs to be flashed out.

2011-02-20 2h: Start with the project setup. Trying to understand the library concept of VHDL, but gave up. Everything goes into work and the components are named leros_xxx to avoid name clashes.
2011-02-20 4h: First VHDL files and setup Quartus to get an idea of fmax. Maximum clock frequency in a Cyclon 1 for a fully registered on-chip RAM is 255 MHz. Without output register and a small adder (ALU) towards the accu it is down to 148 MHz. Still a nice fmax ;-)
2011-02-21 1.5h: Some decode, add ModelSim scripts plus test bench, load/add/sub immediate seems to work. Fmax is still at 145 MHz. LC count at 128. Can we do it below 3oo LC?
2011-02-22 2.5h: Sketch the ISA (in a Bodega)- don't be too picky as 16 bit instructions for an accu machine as it has a lot of freedom in the ISA coding. Add more on the decoding. The LC count goes up to 142, but fmax is still at 145 MHz.
2011-02-23 1h: Start with a conditional branch.
2011-02-25 2h: Continue on conditional branch, add output port, adapt Makefile for the real FPGA compilation and download. The embedded "Hello World" - a blinking LED runs in the FPGA :-) (Just a little bit of cheating with the clock frequency as only simple 16 bit subtraction is supported).
2011-03-04 2h: After a funding application writing break the next steps: start with an assembler (with a lot of copy from Jopa). Leros is now hosted on GitHub: https://github.com/schoeberl/leros
2011-03-05 4h: Assembler knows most instructions and generates the ROM table. Instructions for load/store of variables added. Blinking LED now runs without frequency cheating.
2011-03-07 2.5h: Optional work: add support for the Xilinx based Nexys2 board.
2011-03-14 5h: Add Altera DE2-70 board, change instruction encoding. Add a minimalistic IO interface, shr instruction.
2011-03-29 2h: Rewrite the assembler with a grammar for ANTLR.
2011-05-29 2h: Add indirect load and store.
2011-05-29 1.5h: Complete branches (unconditional and 4 conditional).
2011-05-29 1h: Add jump and link instruction. Leros should now be complete and I stop counting the hours.

Sum: 31.5h (+2.5h)