FPGA/SoC Board Bring-Up Tutorial (Zynq Part 1) - Phil's Lab #96

[@justinschachter8816]

Phil’s videos will change the industry for the current and next generation of electrical engineers. This tears down so many barriers of entry to the field. Keep producing such valuable content, Phil! - Signed, a KZbin University Electrical Engineer

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you very much, Justin - I very much hope so!

[@matheusdv3920]

@@PhilsLab Your content is superb!

[@pietrogagliano4484]

This is board is so nicely designed and these bring up tutorials are really one of a kind on youtube or anywhere for that matter. I'm really excited to see the hardware walk through videos! Great work as always Phil!

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you very much, Pietro!

[@shang-xianliu4716]

When I was struggling with designing PCBs, I stumbled upon your videos, Phil. The wealth of information you covered in them was like a treasure trove, and I found myself continuously tuning in to your channel. Thank you so much for providing such high-quality content!

[@PhilsLab]

I'm very glad to hear that - thank you very much for watching!

[@dymastro788]

Phil your channel is a goldmine! Thank you so much for making this content, quality content on this topic is needed. Looking forward to FPGA hardware design and HDL, Ethernet also great. Considering your course, if I can make time for it!

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you, Rick! You're very welcome - next video will be on DDR3 memory testing, and then also a "quick" hardware run-through. Thanks for your support!

[@AppliedCryogenics]

Wow, that's a gorgeous looking board. Covetously large FPGA, too.

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you!

[@debasishtahbildar9603]

I am writing this before watching the entire video. You contents really inspired me the most, the way you explain the way you design the PCB and all the hardware stuffs are excellent. Your new videos always put a smile on my face. Thank you very much and lots of love from India.

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you very much, Debasish! Greetings from Germany :)

[@RobertFeranec]

awesome video. can't wait for the next part! this is something I always wanted to play with. thank you Phil

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you very much, Robert - I'm glad to hear that!

[@miguelestrada2011]

Wow, you are definitely inspiring me to bring up my own FPGA board! I'm looking forward to building up an EPC5 FPGA in the near future. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion!

[@PhilsLab]

Awesome, glad to hear that, Miguel!

[@svg98]

This is amazing! I'm currently developing on a Zynq 7000 system and your videos really clear up a bunch of unknowns. It's refreshing to not be constantly confused by FPGA systems :) Thanks a lot!

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you, glad it's helpful!

[@derralfono]

I am currently writing my bachelor thesis about this particular Zynq-7000 SoC and will soon work in that field as well. You explain every step in such a detailed way that I still learn some interesting things I've not thought about before. Thanks!

[@hammadsafeer4283]

The frequency of such a great content like this is a blessing....❤️

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you :)

[@nicoladellino8124]

As usual, a very educative and nice video. THX Phil.

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you very much, Nicola!

[@shahrukhp3355]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge waiting for Mixed-signal hardware design course..

[@timovandrey]

The name is just beautiful. Das Brett mit dem Zett. Love it!

[@PhilsLab]

Danke, Timo :)

[@eeuznlu]

Lets make Phil´s Lab to 100k subscribe guys, we almost there! BTW thank you for such great contents!

[@MsSebaastian]

Thank you for another banger, I genuinely would not be able to half the things I know if it was not for your videos. I am looking forward to the course !!

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you, Sebastian - I'm glad to hear the videos have been helpful!

[@casualnoises2808]

This great tutorial paves the way for my next project, a digital synthesizer, so thank you very much Phil for the very clear explanation on pcb design!

[@PhilsLab]

That sounds like a cool project! Good luck with that :)

[@hightlightlol2106]

Really looking foward for your course!!!

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you! Still working on it quite intensely.

[@oktopus1539]

The board is a piece of art!

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you very much!

[@w0ode198]

What a beautiful design and layout.

[@paul_schenk00]

I am looking forward to the next videos! Great work! Thank you!

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you, Paul!

[@ZayMeisters]

Can't wait for the course!

[@PhilsLab]

Awesome, thanks!

[@gsuberland]

Ooh, I can tell this series is going to be great!

[@PhilsLab]

Thanks, Graham :)

[@remy-]

Wow, this is a nice piece of art. Well done!

[@PhilsLab]

Thanks a lot, Remy!

[@amirharsat2224]

Your number one in my book Phil .

[@PhilsLab]

Thanks, Amir!

[@EngineerAnandu]

very good dear

[@manumadanan]

Great video phil. i was following your videos from the beginning and was able to design high end products. I think you are having the best videos in KiCAD and Altium Designer. I was eagerly waiting for your FPGA course. You are explaining the things in very systematic and simplistic way that will help students and engineers very much in hardware design process. One of the best technical channels I have ever seen. Is it possible to have such high end FPGA designs in KiCAD as most of us couldn't afford the price of Altium Designer.

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you so much, Manu!

[@mikeshane2048]

Thanks Phil you are a gem!

[@paulushdk]

I LOVE that "ZettBrett" :D

[@MathewPanicker1010]

I cant even design a pcb for an atmega chip without screwing up..... you're insane!

[@PhilsLab]

Thanks! Don't worry though - happens to all of us!

[@markburton3306]

This looks like a powerful board

[@PhilsLab]

Thanks, Mark - it is!

[@myetis1990]

Thank you, Phil, great content as ever, looking forward to seeing the interfacing sensors, cameras, LCDs, etc. I think we need a baseboard for this board to interface anything. does it need to be energized through the barrel jack connector even if we put the zettbret on a baseboard?

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you, Mustafa! Yes, to connect sensors, cameras, etc. you'll need a baseboard. The ZettBrett can either be powered via the barrel jack, or through the baseboard & mezzanine connectors (without needing the barrel jack).

[@adrianramos2229]

Amazing job! I was curious about if you where planning on doing software/HDL tutorials for the Zynq platform. If that's the case, are you planing on using somekind of OS?

[@oleksiybondar4460]

God bless you, man.

[@samtavassolian1492]

great job. this board is like an art!

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you, Sam!

[@samtavassolian1492]

@@PhilsLab I wish I could have one. Is it an open-source project or should I buy it from somewhere?

[@PhilsLab]

I'll be selling these once I release the course within the next few months - will make another video when that happens!

[@chadbean9149]

I'm curious to know what a typical cost and lead-time is for a PCB like this.. How many do you typically order up-front for bring-up/verification?

[@mikeselectricstuff]

Why are some of the characters on the FPGA lasered off ?

[@DannyBokma]

Spotted the same, qurious it was PCBway that supplied the part or Phil.

[@PhilsLab]

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I asked PCBWay to procure the Zynqs from LCSC, who mentioned that they only had parts with QR codes lasered off. Since I only had good experiences with LCSC in the past and only needed the parts for a couple prototypes, this was fine for me.

[@marcorizza274]

And the ram chips as well. Looks sketchy, but hey... phil said it's working ok

[@tylergoldsmith4884]

Has the course kicked off yet I am interested in the hardware design process !

[@qwerty_____146]

Thank you dear. question: at Read & write memory(Xilinx System debugger) section, where location you wirte data exactly?

[@Chris-hi2hn]

Why did you change the default address settings in the linker script? I'm curious because the default address assignments have been working for me

[@unixux]

Are you selling those ? I suffer from debilitating board hoarding and would most definitely love to snipe one

[@morph7299]

Thanks for your videos. May i ask how much did making this board cost you ? i'm looking to make a zynq development board for myself just need to estimate costs.

[@tuanlong2607]

Do you have any courses about So(P)C design - RTL on Xilinx ?

[@rushit04]

Great Video! I have one question, is it possible to use only programmable logic part of Zync 7000 chip without using ARM part of the chip (both I/O should directly communicate to FPGA fabric) ?

[@qwerty_____146]

Other question: You said use eeprom near ftdih??? please describe more.

[@creedo8301]

Is it possible to know when the advanced pcb design course is coming out?

[@spruce1000]

Man this board is beautifully designed. No usb tvs diodes?

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you! TVS diodes are on all USB connectors (back side).

[@ashwin372]

Hi, did you publish the course? thank you

[@shakaibsafvi97]

Hi Phil, Gorgeous looking board and amazing content on your channel. Keep 'em coming. Just wondering if this board is open hardware ?

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you, Shakaib! I'll be releasing the schematics of this board but not the board files.

[@shakaibsafvi97]

@@PhilsLab Hmmm... is there a possibility that you have PCBWAY assemble the boards and keep 'em in stock and we simply order the boards from PCBWAY directly ? And just out of curiosity why would you not release the board files ?

[@PhilsLab]

They're a part of the upcoming course and will be sold alongside so-to-speak (not sure through which distributor or if I'll just pop them on my site - not sure if PCBWay will do that but I'll ask.). The course will guide through on how to design a board like this (or rather this board in particular).

[@shakaibsafvi97]

@@PhilsLab Excellent !

[@r_be]

Unlike a microcontroller based project, this one does punish your wallet significantly if you don't get it right. Did this board required more than a single iteration or did you get it all working perfectly the first time. Honesty is appreciated :)

[@PhilsLab]

I've successfully verified DDR memory (speed, no byte lane errors, read/write eyes), Gig Ethernet (TCP server/client), QSPI flash (writing/reading/booting from), and the Zynq systems themselves so far. Left to test is the eMMC and USB HS - so fingers crossed :) This is the first iteration of this board. I did spend a substantial amount of time checking the design before ordering.

[@milind_jani003]

Hi Phil, great video. I always find your content very informative and useful. I am curious about the golden border around the PCB. Is that edge plating as I could also see vias around the edge of the board? Is there any specific reason for doing this?

[@saxfieldchatmon2495]

Would you mind sharing the costs for the SoC, BoM, and total price of the board?

[@OriginalJetForMe]

This is excellent. Does your hardware course include an assembled board? If so, I’m in. I’m less interested in the hardware design and routing for now, and more interested in the bring up, and in finding ways to program it using more open-source tools (not the synthesis yet). I do also want to learn the design and layout, don’t get me wrong. But I really want your board to play with!

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you, Rick! I'll be selling these ZettBrett boards once I release the course. You can either buy them individually or in some form of bundle (at a slightly reduced) price along with the course.

[@Phreak5h0w]

@@PhilsLab Nice videos, nice design. I hope I didn't miss it, but is there a shop for ordering a board?

[@TrickyNekro]

And I would guess, these are the first steps on how to build your own, opensource hopefully, oscilloscope!

[@MrKrishnanandaKHegde]

When you hit Run, where actually is the program running?

[@SnakePlissken1]

How do I get one of these boards? Which device or board should I get for speed & learning?

[@prashkd7684]

Love the silkscreen for each component with clear part outline AND their name/function etc. I assume they're all custom?

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you! Yeah, I decided to pop labels like that on, as it's for an educational dev board.

[@prashkd7684]

@@PhilsLab I bet somewhere in the world electronics repair/debugging teams are watching your videos and drooling over it.

[@mspeir]

Where the heck did you find a Zynq chip?! 😮🧐

[@PhilsLab]

There are a few still floating around as it happens!

[@pauleinundzwanzig]

Lovely board and great explanation! What font did you use for your silkscreen?

[@PhilsLab]

Thanks, Paul! Font is Century Gothic.

[@Pippo.Langstrumpf]

How is it possible to solder a Chip from the bottom side?

[@SirHarrisonPhillips]

Sometimes surface tension of the flux and and solder is enough to hold tiny components to the bottom of the board. For heavier components, manufacturing houses will place tiny dots of epoxy on the bottom of of components which hardens during the reflow process

[@abhishek420oviyt]

The answer is Yes.

[@remy-]

I also do this myself with a reflow oven. In this case I always order a extra v-cutted zone around the board. First apply paste and place the components of the first side and reflow. Then use the extra border to hold the pcb without any need to flatten it on the workbench and in the oven (use 4 big screws for this, upside down) and reflow again. Never had a drop.

[@samba8579]

thanks alot!

[@eyallampel]

What are those colors on your pcb ? is it black solder mask with yellow silkscreen ? I haven't seen this option in jlcpcb

[@PhilsLab]

That's right. I'm using PCBWay.

[@eyallampel]

@@PhilsLab May i ask how do you create those inverted fonts ? i mean you have a yellow background rectangle , and the font is the black solder mask

[@zerpharet]

Hey Phil, this board looks really awesome. Will you sell them at some point?

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you! Yes, I'll be selling them when the course comes out (on Tindie or the like).

[@zerpharet]

@@PhilsLab nice, consider me one of the first customers.

[@xThirdOpsx]

Was this board made for as a personal learning experience or was it commisioned? Also, if possible I would like to hear your experiences about your first months in the industry etc. Being a junior myself I would like to soak up as many infos as possible from other people before entering the work place, I think others experiences really help in understanding what am I getting into (talking about embedded systems)

[@PhilsLab]

I designed this board specifically for the upcoming course, to be able to demonstrate how to use 'advanced' processors, route DDR memory, hook-up ethernet PHYs, and so on. Regarding (initial) industry experience - that'll have to be a video on its own, I'm afraid. That being said I quit my first job after three months and then went the self-employed route after that, so I may be a bit atypical in that regard.

[@xThirdOpsx]

@@PhilsLab Yes please make a video if u can! I loved the EEVblog video where you talked a bit about work experience etc.

[@sanjikaneki6226]

@@PhilsLab you journey through the industry must be a wild and interesting story not even sure how you managed to become self employed only after 3mo.

[@FunPHYSICZ]

I plan to sign up for the course and build the design board as a basis for my own development system ( with a few additional interface devices on board). Meanwhile, you mentioned that you planned on also selling an assembled board, but I haven’t seen it offered yet. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong place. Has this been done yet?

[@Chris-hi2hn]

Does the ,zynq support lvds33? 🤔

[@viktoreidrien7110]

thank you

[@PhilsLab]

Thanks for watching, Victor!

[@animatrix1851]

Any reason you didn't go for a single PMIC for multiple voltages ?

[@PhilsLab]

Form factor of the board was one reason, meaning I can space the regulators out and thus clean up my power planes and delivery. Also, the combined cost of all regulators was significantly cheaper than a 4-in-1 regulator. Lastly, I personally love the aesthetics.

[@animatrix1851]

@@PhilsLab Fair enough! Btw could you provide the part no of these regulators ? 2. Do you source your fpga's from the pcb house or mouser/digikey Thanks!

[@Chriva]

What's up with the ground off chip numbers?

[@PhilsLab]

Not entirely sure - LCSC mentioned this before buying them, but said they're otherwise OK. Just went with them, as this is a prototype - seems fine so far.

[@th3magist3r]

Thank you for another awesome video. Please think about making a video or a paid course demonstrating firmware concepts. Thank you in advance.

[@PhilsLab]

Thank you, Alexandros! What firmware concepts were you thinking of?

[@th3magist3r]

@@PhilsLab m.2/PCIe zynq board firmware develpment would be awesome!

[@redpillcommando]

Dude! I WANT ONE. Please put these up for sale.

[@PhilsLab]

At some point this year, I will!

[@8_Bit_Cloud]

Great

[@tamaseduard5145]

👍🙏❤️

[@blacklion79]

Oh, this IDE looks so clunky. Editing of linker script could be much faster with textual search-and-replace than this stupid UI. The board looks gorgeous, on the other hand!

[@PhilsLab]

Yeah, that and Vivado are a bit of a pain to use at times.. But glad you like the look of the boards, thanks!

[@blacklion79]

@@PhilsLab Do you have any plans to sell assembled boards?

[@PhilsLab]

Yes, I'm planning to sell these along with the upcoming course sometime in the first half of this year!

[@thanatosor]

Bro need to advise all famouse fpga brands for their ugly designs & bad usecases 😂