Today's Topics:
1. roach reference designs (Jason Manley)
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Message: 1
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:13:15 +0200
From: Jason Manley <[email protected]>
Subject: [casper] roach reference designs
To: [email protected], [email protected]
Message-ID: <[email protected]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed; delsp=yes
Hi all
It came to my attention that not many people know about the ROACH
reference designs from the last CASPER workshop. The reference
designs can be found in SVN here: http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/ref_designs_tutorials/
and provide a great way to get started with CASPER and ROACH.
The tutorials at the 2009 CASPER workshop are as follows:
1) Introduction
===============
Introduction to Simulink, communication with FPGAs. Build a simple
program that flashes LEDs, counts and adds numbers on demand,
captures raw ADC data. Communicate with ROACH's FPGA using the
PPC's BORPH operating system and also using raw KATCP commands.
Includes step-by- step walkthrough for building your design,
compiling it, loading onto ROACH and communicating with it.
Prerequisites: just your enthusiastic self, your computer with
10.1 libraries and a ROACH board.
* PDF walkthrough:
http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/ref_designs_tutorials/workshop_2009/roach_tut1_intro/tut1_intro.pdf
* Completed Simulink model file:
http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/ref_designs_tutorials/workshop_2009/roach_tut1_intro/tut1.mdl
2) 10GbE, KATCP
===============
Construct a design that transmits a counter over 10GbE to another
ROACH port. During this tutorial, you will learn more about the
CASPER hardware interfaces, communicating with ROACH remotely
using KATCP and the supplied Python libraries. Prerequisites:
Introduction tutorial (we expect conceptual understanding of
software registers and PPC/FPGA mapped memory regions along with
some basic Simulink experience). Also useful, but not required, is
some experience in programming in Python, since sample scripts for
configuring and controlling the system are provided. You will need
a ROACH board and a 10GbE cable. Please also ensure that you're
running the latest versions of tcpborphserver and tgtap on your
ROACH, else the 10GbE may not function correctly. Get 'em here: http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/roach/sw/binaries/
* PDF walkthrough:
http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/ref_designs_tutorials/workshop_2009/roach_tut2_10GbE/tut2_10gbe.pdf
* Simulink model file:
http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/ref_designs_tutorials/workshop_2009/roach_tut2_10GbE/tut2.mdl
* Python control script:
http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/ref_designs_tutorials/workshop_2009/roach_tut2_10GbE/tut2.py
3) Wideband spectrometer
========================
Build a 512MHz "wideband" spectrometer with 2048 FFT channels on
ROACH. This will introduce the ADC boards, the CASPER DSP
libraries including the wideband PFB and FFT blocks as well as
demonstrate the use of vector accumulators, shared BRAMs and
readout through the PPC's 1GbE port. We will make use of KATCP for
remote control of the ROACHes using Python libraries to plot the
output. Prerequisites: tutorials 1 and 2. This design is complete
and tested working, but is not documented. You'll need a ROACH
board and an iADC board. Revision 102 had a design flaw in the
VACC (bit growth), so rev103 adds requantisation after the FFT.
Careful of configuring this correctly for your given signal type.
See comments in Python code. Or, you can forego to requantisation
if you opt for a 64-bit VACC (not demonstrated).
* Revision 103, tested working:
http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/ref_designs_tutorials/workshop_2009/roach_tut3_wideband_spec/r_spec_2048_r103.mdl
* Compiled bitstream, ready for execution on ROACH:
http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/ref_designs_tutorials/workshop_2009/roach_tut3_wideband_spec/r_spec_2048_r103_2009_Nov_23_1234.bof
* Python script to configure it:
http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/ref_designs_tutorials/workshop_2009/roach_tut3_wideband_spec/spectrometer.py
4.1) Wideband pocket correlator
===============================
Build a wideband correlator, ported from the original IBOB design
for use on ROACH. This is a good starting point for your field-
deployable correlator and demonstrates the use of requantisation
after the FFT. It is not documented. Code is commented, so you
could probably figure it out. You'll need a ROACH board and two
iADCs.
* Revision 311 Simulink model file using standard CASPER 10.1
libraries: http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/ref_designs_tutorials/workshop_2009/roach_tut4_1_wideband_poco/poco_wide_10_r311.mdl
* Revision 311 compiled bitstream, ready for execution on ROACH:
http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/ref_designs_tutorials/workshop_2009/roach_tut4_1_wideband_poco/poco_wide_10_r311_2009_Aug_27_1805.bof
* Python control package, including scripts to plot output:
http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/ref_designs_tutorials/workshop_2009/roach_tut4_1_wideband_poco/poco_wide_0.2.0.tar.gz
4.2) Narrowband pocket correlator <INCOMPLETE and UNTESTED>
=================================
Build a 250MHz, 1024 channel single board correlator on ROACH.
This tutorial demonstrates the use of CASPER's digital downmix and
filter blocks, along with the narrowband biplexed PFB and FFT
blocks. Data is accumulated on the FPGA and output through the
PPC's 1GbE port and displayed remotely using KATCP. This design is
incomplete, and is provided purely to demonstrate the architecture
of using a DDC, PFB and FFT.
5) High resolution spectrometer <DESIGN AND DOC FROM DAVE>
===============================
Build a 500MHz, 1 million channel spectrometer on a single ROACH
board. This tutorial demonstrates advanced use of the PFB and FFT
blocks, some DSP concepts, along with the ROACH's DRAM for large-
scale accumulation. Prerequisites: tutorials 1 and 2 plus either 3
or 4. This project's home is located elsewhere in SVN, since it
was originally designed as a stand-alone project rather than a
tutorial: http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/projects/roach_mspec/
Please note that you will need the Python KATCP and correlator
control packages (corr-0.4.0) to use the included python control
scripts. Get them here: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/katcp and http://casper.berkeley.edu/svn/trunk/projects/packetized_correlator/corr-0.4.0/
Otherwise, the designs use the standard CASPER 10.1 libraries
and do not require any special software, different settings or
configurations to compile for ROACH.
Jason Manley
Digital Engineer
SKA-SA, KAT Pinelands office
Unit 12, Lonsdale Building
Lonsdale Road
Pinelands
7405
South Africa
Cell: +27 82 662 7726
Work: +27 21 531 7282
Fax: + 27 21 531 9761
End of casper Digest, Vol 25, Issue 16
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