ECE443-Sp26 Macrocontroler

FPGA
Computer Architecture
Spring 2026
CPU

The project is a simplified computer using an emulated CPU on a FPGA and an old Northbridge Southbridge peripheral design. The tool is meant to be used as a devboard for college level students interested in computer architecture to build and test CPU designs through an iterative process along with see many uses of micro-controller communication protocols. All key technologies implemented are individually simple, micro-controllers communicating, and FPGA simulating verilog code, buck converters efficiently changing voltage levels. The complexity comes from the programs on the micro-controllers and the FPGA, and the board that allows the code to work. Most notable achievement this project had to be actually implementing such a large scoped project and getting it working. Another would be when debuging our first design, we needed to hand solder hair-thin wires to pads as big as 0.22mm, and having those additions actually work. The biggest challenge we faced was the long delay between ordering and getting the board, this meant we had very limited numbers of prototypes to work on. This caused us to have to make most, if not all, of our first prototype work through any means necessary so we could add changes to our second and final version.

4 Lifts 

Awards

Artifacts

Name Description
Project Poster Poster designed to show at the 2026 Engineering Expo.   Download
Manufacturing Picture Front The Manufactures picture of the front of the final version of the board   Download
Manufacturing Picture Back The Manufactures picture of the back of the final version of the board   Download
Getting the VGA working a picture of the board when we first got the VGA to work   Download
Getting the FPGA working a picture of the board when we first programmed the FPGA   Download
New Light a picture of the board the first time we turned it on   Download
Github repository a link to the github repository where we stored everything   Link
Project Summary Video A Summary video going over our project (due to be replaced once we get our actual final board)   Link
Executive Summary The Executive Summary of our project   Download
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