EEVblog #496 - What Is An FPGA?

What is an FPGA, and how does it compare to a microcontroller?
A basic introduction to what Field Programmable Gate Arrays are and how they work, and the advantages and disadvantages.

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[peterfriedman]

The sheer energy and enthusiasm in this video is just exemplary beyond measure. I think there's something to be said for claiming that 'if you imagine that a proportion of viewers might find it overwhelmingly intense, that'a not necessarily a bad thing for certain kinds of material'. There is an unmistakable impression of a wealth of in-depth and up to date knowledge and extensive valuable experience which sits behind the talk, combined with a serious commitment to helpfulness (evident in the on screen corrections and tips) that makes this video something that I intend to use as an instructive example of how to tackle an introduction to a difficult technical subject. Thanks and bravo Dave.

[JennyEverywhere]

Field Programmable Gatorade?

That sounds delicious!

[stomachcontentz]

7 years later, still an awesome, informative video. Nice one mate!

[ZainAhmed]

Dave I just wanna say thank you for doing this stuff. I’m in my final year of a computer engineering degree and can confidently say that 2 days of me mucking around with a dev board + your videos has always taught me more than the related class at my school. I’m finally in a place where I can start donating back to you and will set that up soon. Just wanna thanks from college kids everywhere. If it were up to me I’d split my tuition between you and a couple others

[skydavid]

This is the clearest and best general introduction to the FPGA that I have found. I am using it to educate persons who work for an investor of my small company so that they understand the importance of why we are spending so much on XILINX as the core of our I.P. I started with Microchip's PIC in 1993 and on to XILINX's simple CLPD types and am still growing learning and adapting to vast progressive expansion that XILINX has made in decades of FPGA advancement. Thanks for making this educational reference.

[drteeth]

This stuff is pure magic, especially when things are explained as well as they are in this video.

[eveneevee]

The best intro to FPGA I have heard of. Easy to understand and pretty thorough :)

[EEVblog]

Hard silicon CPU's are generally much faster and low power than "soft" CPU's. That is why a lot of FPGA's now have hard silicon CPU's built in them.
In terms of older CPU like say a 6502, an FPGA soft core can be much faster than the old chip.

[antonnym]

I love these introductions. Your presentation, knowledge, and enthusiasm is engaging. Videos like this make Youtube worthwhile. Thank you!

[FPGABeginner]

I tried to start with FPGA programming, but didn't really get my head around it.
I found the VHDPlus IDE and with the simple language, embedded libraries and other features it helped me a lot to make some cool projects :)
Just in case someone has the same problem

[lemuffinity]

I'm a complete newbie when it comes to microprocessors and stuff, and I understood those concepts very well. Great video. Cheers

[pedroguilherme]

Sir, you're just a genius...! you inspired me with this video. Actually, I'm an electronic engineering student and have been having too many problems understanding some digital electronic lessons but thanks to your videos and to some others out there I now understand better. I will no longer sleep!

[MatrixOfDynamism]

I have worked as Applications Engineer for Altera FPGAs and have the opportunity to see them inside out. In many cases it is possible to use MCUs, but the flexibility that FPGAs provide in the present generation devices is just mind blowing.

[MrDoneboy]

Dave is really a natural teacher at heart!

[Growrena]

You have crazy energy. Appreciate the breakdown of why take an advantage using the FPGA's. Pros and Cons Thanks EEVblog

[shanesrandoms]

When seeing the Data sheets for the Cyclone IV series I've been playing with lately, one realises that in the modern day, no engineer can really understand everything without still having decent reference material :)

[TimmayLaw]

Just want to say thank you for these videos.. I've been working as an EE in the automotive field for 5 years now and a lot of these videos really touch on exactly what we have to work with while doing R&D! You have a great way of taking more complex subjects and making them a lot simpler, thank you!

[leisergeist]

Limited by your imagination.. and wallet
Mainly wallet haha

[marenol]

Was on someone elses video watching an explanation, I am so glad you were in the "up next" because I got tired of them and jumped straight to this video instead. Dave's a legend!

[hadireg]

much better than I've seen at school 👍 Always great to go back to your videos Dave! Thanks for what you're bringing to the Electronics Community!