Re: [f-cpu] Free synthesis tool for Verilog and other links

[Just an Illusion <illusion_to_net@yahoo.fr>]

Hi,

Ben Franchuk wrote:
<cut>

> If you can't have visible information
> from HDL source to transistor masks (or raw gates) how can you 1) find 
> bugs , 

Many technics can be apply, more traditional (like classical-simulation, 
driven-simulation, random-simulation...) or more new method like formal 
approach (equivalence checking, model checking, property checking, 
theorem proving...).

You can find some combinaison of tools which can extract a logical 
function from a mask or gates netlist and generate a hdl equivalent model.

>
> 2) Improve layout 3) have open source from libraries used?
> Right now using FPGA's the tools limit you to gates and FF's for portable
> work. While HDL's seem to permit simulation and ease of coding, you 
> still need
> several layers of abstraction that the tools don't permit you so still
> almost have to write your own stuff. My question is that the F-CPU is
> to be tested with a FPGA design but will it still be portable to a
> mask layout? What if I want optimize some logic by hand can I still
> get at information generated after several versions of compilation? 

Sorry but the notion of compilation is not really appropriate. You have 
a "real" compilation only for simulation.
Alright, the first step of synthesis process is a compilation too, but 
the result is only used by the synthesis tools and it can't give to an 
other one.

If you make hand-made customization to optimize logic, you can recover 
(fully, partially or not) some information, that depend which 
information at which level.
By example, if you want check the customized mask layout, you can launch 
your testbench on both model (before customisation and after) to compare 
results, or make equivalence checking... (see above about remarks on how 
to find a bug)

>
> -----
> Ben Franchuk - Dawn * 12/24 bit cpu *
> www.jetnet.ab.ca/users/bfranchuk/index.html

>
Cheers,
Just an Illusion

-- 
______________________________
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Shadow in world, shadow in life. Don't try to keep me,
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