MD Xilinx offers the Zynq family of system-on-chips (SoCs) a combination of a variety of input and output capabilities from an ARM microprocessor and programmable logic from Xilinx in a single device.
The microprocessor can run an operating system such as Linux and serve as a practical man-machine interface with its graphical user interface. In addition, this already implements popular communication interfaces such as Ethernet, USB, CAN, SPI, UART and I²C..
The programmable logic shows the advantage in the massive parallel processing and the associated high data rate. Compared to computer processors and graphics cards you get the best performance per watt here..
Zynq from Xilinx combines the advantages of microprocessor and circuit technology on one SoC. To software developers, the Zync SoC appears to be a standard, full-featured ARM SoC that boots immediately on power-up and can run a variety of operating systems independent of the programmable logic.
Unlike previous FPGA and microprocessor SoCs, the Zynq platform moved from an FPGA-centric to a processor-centric model. This is primarily to facilitate day-to-day use.
Zynq-7000 SoC
The first generation of Zync SoCs was specifically targeted at embedded systems such as automotive driver assistance, generic video surveillance or wireless communication and factory automation.
The microprocessor used in the Zynq-7000 SoC is an Arm® Cortex®-A9 single or dual core. The seventh-generation programmable logic is created in a process with 28 nm structure width.
With up to 6.6 million logic cells and bandwidths between 6.25 and 12.5 Gb/s, highly differentiated designs are possible. This means that either several video streams can be processed simultaneously or particularly high-resolution (Ultra-HDTV) video streams can be processed efficiently.
Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC
With the heterogeneous adaptive SoC, in addition to a dual- or quad-core Cortex-A53 arm, a second dual-core Cortex-R5F arm is available specifically for real-time tasks.In combination with the low latency of the FPGA hardware, the new SoC positions are the most appropriate solution for real-time tasks.
In addition, a special graphic card in the shape of the Arm Mali-400 is integrated for the first time at Xilinx. This GPU, known from smartphones and tablets, masters the API OpenlGL ES 2.0 and consists of two pixel shaders and one vertex shader. The EV variant of the Zynq UltraScale+ also supports the H.264 and H.265 codecs that are used for video compression.
The programmable logic has also been improved compared to the Zynq-7000. It is now created in TSMC’s 16 nm FinFET+ process and works even more efficiently.
Zynq solutions from Digilent
The Cora Z7 represents the entry point for this type of SoC development board in terms of price and is most likely to be targeted at makers and hobbyists. Equipped with Arduino™ headers, 1Gbps Ethernet, an onboard analogue-to-digital converter and Pmod ports, the Cora Z7 can be used in a wide range of embedded applications.
On a striking white PCB with more connectivity, an Arm dual-core and 85000 logic cells instead of 28000, the slightly larger Arty Z7-20 scores high. The device targets custom video applications and is capable of processing video in real time via the HDMI inputs and outputs. Both boards have the connections around popular Arduino expansion boards, making them even more flexible.An important product at Digilent is the Genesys ZU-5EV with Zynq UltraScale+ EV MPSoC. Designed with high-definition video, the Genesys ZU-5EV is very good for multimedia, automotive assistance systems, surveillance and other embedded vision applications.
The excellent mix of on-board peripherals, upgradeable DDR4, mini PCIe and microSD slots, multi-camera, a video codec, the HDMI source and 10G SFP+ – enable a wide range of use cases. Several specialised ports including FMC Gigabit expansion ports, Pmod and SYZYGY compliant have high-speed expansion module ports for Zmods: this allows flexible expansion and easy access to a wide ecosystem of add-on modules, perfect for evaluation and rapid prototyping.
Getting Started
The boards presented are all supported by the Vivado Design Suite from Xilinx. With Vivado ML Standard Edition (formerly Vivado WebPACK ™), there is even a free variant available.
The Vivado integrated design environment (IDE) enables synthesis and analysis of designs in hardware description language (HDL). The suite has tools for this from the system level to the chip level, which are built on a common scalable data model and a common debug environment.
In addition, Vivado, like its predecessor Xilinx ISE, includes a logic simulator and can convert C code into programmable logic. The software is available for both Microsoft Windows and Linux.
Alternatively, the SDSOC software is available for the Arty Z7-20 and some other Zynq boards. The SDSOC (Software-Defined System-On-Chip) environment is based on the well-known Eclipse integrated development environment and makes it easier for developers and engineers to start developing with Xilinx FPGAs, because no background knowledge of circuit technology is necessary.
The development environment includes a system-optimising C/C++/OpenCL compiler that provides automated software acceleration in programmable logic combined with automated generation of system connectivity and comprehensive design tools.
An application is consequently written as C/C++/OpenCL code, with the programmer specifying a target platform and a subset of the functions within the application to be compiled into hardware. The application is then compiled into in hardware and software to realize the complete embedded system implemented on a Zynq device. This includes a ready boot image with firmware, as well as an operating system and the executable application itself.
