- An object in an NCD file that refers to
either a LUT, flip flop, latch, or carry logic element. BELs
accumulate to form COMPs. If a COMP is edited in EPIC, all of the internal BEL's are transformed into a
SuperBEL.
- Logic inside of a CLB that quickly performs
arithmetic carry functions.
- A physically co-located grouping of LUT's,
flip flops, and carry
logic.
- The maximum delay between arrival times of
a clock edge at clock pins of multiple flip flops.
- An object in an NCD file that refers to
either a CLB or IOB.
- A driver/load pin combination which is connected
by a signal.
- The slowest path through asynchronous logic
between a set of source flip flops and a set of load flip flops
that share a common clock signal. The delay through critical
path (including clock to out and setup time) defines the minimum
period the for the clock. A timing report on timing constraints
will list all of the paths for a failed timing constraint from
worst to best delay. The critical path for a timing constraint
path is the first path listed.
element
- COMPs,
BELs,
MACROs, nets, or pins.
- A graphical editor that provides a view of
the physical implementation of your Xilinx design. EPIC features
include:
- Ability to view CLB mapping, placement, and routing.
- Modification of CLB mapping, placement,
and routing.
- Timing Anaylysis
- Ability to create custom physical macros
to be incorporated in your design.
- A CLB that is used to route to a signal.
Feedthroughs allow a dense design to be more routable, although
paths with feedthroughs have more delay. Feedthroughs can be
identified using EPIC: CLB's show routing through them.
- A constraint used to specify the timing from
a set of start points to a set of end points. The start and
end points may be defined by using a TNM, TIMEGRP, or TPSYNC
statement (Example 1), or they may be directly referenced inside
the FROM:TO by indicating the output net (Example 2).
- Example 1:
- INST $1I6/flop_instance TNM = myflop;
#attach a TNM to a flop instance
- TIMEGRP myram = RAMS($1I45/ramout);
#group RAMs with given output
- TIMESPEC TS01 = FROM myflop TO myram 30;
- Example 2:
- TIMESPEC TS02 = FROM FFS($1I6/flop_Qoutput)
TO RAMS($1I45/ramout) 30;
- A constraint used to specify the timing from
a set of start points to a set of end points, via a specified
net or set of nets. The start and end points may be defined
by using a TNM, TIMEGRP, or TPSYNC statement (Example 1), or
they may be directly referenced inside the FROM:TO by indicating
the output net (Example 2). The intermediate nets may be defined
with the TPTHRU keyword.
- Example 1:
- INST $1I6/flop_instance TNM =
myflop; #attach
a TNM to a flop instance
- TIMEGRP myram = RAMS($1I45/ramout);
#group RAMs with given output
- NET $1N3* TPTHRU = thrupoint;
#group intermediate nets
- TIMESPEC TS01 = FROM myflop THRU thrupoint
TO myram 30;
- Example 2: NET
$1N3* TPTHRU = thrupoint;
#group intermediate nets
- TIMESPEC TS02 = FROM FFS($1I6/flopQ) THRU
thrupoint TO RAMS(ramout) 30;
- A graphical program used for accessing the
implementation tools.
- A physically co-located group of buffers,
latches, flip flops, and input/output pads used for sending
signals off of the FPGA and receiving signals onto the FPGA.
- A graphical tool for creating digital logic
macros that are optimized for Xilinx FPGA's.
- A block of logic in a CLB that uses SRAM
technology to implement asychronous digital logic.
- An executable that takes an NGD netlist and groups the
logical elements into CLBs and IOB's. Map outputs the data into an NCD file.
- An FPGA file that holds mapping, placement,
and routing data about a design implemenation. A valid NCD can
hold mapping information, or mapping/routing information, or
mapping/placement/routing information.
- An FPGA file that holds logical netlist information
about a design.
- A timing constraint keyword for specifying
the off chip delay of a signal with respect to a clock.
- A source point, a destination point, and
any elements in between through which a signal
- passes.
- A command line executable for placing and routing a mapped
NCD
file.
- A file generated by map that contains timing
and location constraints of the logic in the physical domain.
Map reads the constraints in the NGD file, which originally
came from the netlist or the UCF file, and translates them into physical constraints.
- A constraint placed on a clock net that defines
the worst-case period for all paths starting and ending at the
registers, synchronous rams, pads, and latches clocked or enabled
by the specified clock net. The Period constriant does
not control paths that end at a pad; a FROM:TO spec or a OFFSET
constraint is necessary for those paths.
- Example: NET
myclocknet PERIOD = 20 ;
- The process of taking logic that has already
been mapped to CLB's and IOB's, and determining which locations they occupy and
what routing is used to connnect them. This process is performed
by par.
- A Timegroup that is defined by default. Predefined groups include
FFS (for all flip-flops), RAMS (for all ram), LATCHES (for all
latches), and PADS (for all input and output pads).
- Example:
- Timespec TS01 = FROM: FFS: TO : PADS: 30;
#Constrains all flip-flops to all pads
- The order of precedence used to determine
which constraint will keep a set of paths when two or more constraints
cover them. The order of scope from highest to lowest priority
is:
- Path TIG (for path blocking)
- FROM:THRU:TO type specs
- Neither source or destination are
predefined
groups
- Either source or destination is a
predefined group
- Both source and destination are predefined
groups
- FROM:TO type specs
- Neither source or destination are
predefined groups
- Either source or destination is a
predefined group
- Both source and destination are predefined
groups
- PERIOD
- A case in timing analysis where a subset
of a path or Period constraint is allowed to run at a slower
speed. One way to accomplish this is to place a Period constraint
on the clock net to constrain the majority of the design, and
then constrain a subset of the loads on that net to a slower
speed.
- Example:
- NET clocknet PERIOD = 25 ;
- TIMESPEC TS_slow = FROM : FFS($1I3/slowflop)
: TO:RAMS($1I3/slowram): 30;
- A data structure in an NCD file that is created
from a set of BEL's within a COMP that are editted using EPIC.
- A timing constraint used to
indicate a path or element should be ignored for the purposes of
timing analysis. A TIG on a path will remove the entire path
from path analysis. A TIG on an element will stop the tracing
of a path at that point. TIG can be applied on a specific timespec
or globally to all timespecs.
- Example 1:
NET slownet TIG ;
- Example 2:
NET slownet TIG = TS04; #ignore paths thru net only
for TS04 constraint
- A collection of design elements or other Timegroups
for use in defining constraints for a design.
- User directives to the map, and place and route tools indicating
the desired speed for sections of the design. Specified in the
input netlist or the UCF file.
- A graphical tool for examing the speed of
your FPGA implementation. You can examine delays on specific
nets, performance of timespecs, and clock speeds.
- A command line tool for examing the speed
of your FPGA implementation. You can examine delays on specific
nets, performance of timespecs, and clock speeds.
- A user created ASCII file for storing timing constraints and location contraints for a design implementation.
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