UPC EETAC Bachelor's Degree in Telecommunications Systems and in Network Engineering EEL

 

  

ROM/RAM method for implementing logic functions

L5.4

The method of ROM memory cells or look-up tables (FPGA - LUT) for implementing logic functions is referred as method 14th in our list of strategies for designing combinational circuits.

 

1. Specifications

Example circuit. Invent the combinational circuit described by the truth table Fig. 1 using the method of memories. Determine the values to be saved in the ROM memory 8x4. Develop and test your circuit. 

CC

F3 = f(A, B, C) = Sm(2, 3, 5, 6, 7)

F2 = f(A, B, C) = Sm(0, 1, 2, 6)

F1 = f(A, B, C) = Sm(2, 3, 4, 6, 7)

F0 = f(A, B, C) = Sm(0,  1, 4, 6)

Fig. 1. Example of a combinational circuit to be solved by the method of ROM memories.

2. Plan

As a first step, the truth table of the CC circuit has to be filled in. The truth table values are written in the ROM memory component.

Truth table

Fig. 2. Fill in the truth table which is the ROM content for each of the 8 addresses.

As deduced inspecting the truth table, a ROM_8x4 component is required in this CC based on plan C2.

Circuit_ROM

Fig. 3. Example of a 8x4 memory which allows the implementation of 4 logic functions Fi = f(A, B, C) using the plan C2.

 

3. Develop

Write the top VHDL file CC.vhd and run an EDA synthesis tool including the ROM_8x4.vhd component. Inspect the final RTL and technology schematics. Note: in this file, outputs are interpreted as individual wires instead of a vector.

RTL

Fig. 4. RTL schematic.

Fig 5 shows the technology schematic used in a Cyclone IV FPGA chip to materialise the ROM device. Because we have defined a one-time programmable (OTP) ROM that is written in the synthesis/manufactring process itself,  it is based on simple combinational logic (LOGIC_CELL_COMB) and registers type D_FF are not required. 

ROM_tech

Fig. 5. Tecnology view representation.

An interesting exercise at this level is solving the same CC circuit in PoS using plan A from the circuit's truth table in Minilog and compare RTL and technology views. 

(Optional) An also another more complex project out of CSD content is solving the same circuit using RAM.

 

4. Test

This is an example testbench file in VHDL CC_tb.vhd to test the truth table.

Testing

Fig. 6. Example of testing the truth table.

 

Another tutorial exercise

Another example project that includes a ROM component and logic gates: Hex_7seg_decoder.

1. Specifications were described in in these tutorials 1:  plan A or 2:  plan B. 

2. This is the plan for a HEX_7seg_decoder using a ROM16x8.

3. The top entity HEX_7seg_decoder.vhd, and the ROM component ROM_16x8.vhd.

 This is the RTL schematic

4. The testbench is the same as in 1 or 2.