Dan Rodrigues - first shuttle, racing the beam & retro gaming

Dan Rodrigues - first shuttle, racing the beam & retro gaming

Author: Matt Venn May 5, 2021 Duration: 31:14
00:00 Introducing  Dan Rodrigues
01:15 Dan was on the first shuttle
02:30 Converting an FPGA project to an ASIC
03:17 How long it took to prepare his submission?
05:17 What kind of config changes were required?
07:50 VDP-lite - wishbone peripheral that can generate sprites and put out on VGA: https://github.com/dan-rodrigues/caravel_vdp_lite 
08:45 No framebuffer
11:20 How many flip flops were required?
12:37 A look at the GDS
14:10 Framebuffer vs racing the beam
16:28 How does the wishbone part work? How can VDP-lite be controlled?
18:10 Do you have projects planned to run on the hardware
19:06 Sam Littlewood’s PCB: https://github.com/samlittlewood/caravel_carrier
25:44 Diadatp made a PR on VGA clock demo for realtime verilator rendering
26:00 Caravel test structure 
27:06 Icestation32: https://github.com/dan-rodrigues/icestation-32
28:31 Recommendations from Dan about how to learn more about retro gaming
30:12 Ultimate Gameboy talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyzD8pNlpwI

For anyone curious about how the tiny, powerful chips that run our world are actually created, Zero to ASIC Course offers a clear and engaging path through the complex landscape. Hosted by Matt Venn, this podcast demystifies the journey of designing Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), breaking down the barriers between abstract concepts and physical silicon. Each episode serves as an informal lesson, weaving together foundational physics, current industry news, and practical engineering insights. You'll hear conversations with practitioners and pioneers who are actively shaping open-source silicon, making a field often shrouded in proprietary secrecy feel accessible and collaborative. This isn't just theoretical; it's about the tools, the challenges, and the community effort to bring custom chip design to more people. By listening to this podcast, you gain a nuanced understanding of semiconductor development, from initial design to final fabrication. The discussions naturally explore the intersection of education, technology, and open-source philosophy, providing context for both newcomers and seasoned engineers looking to stay current. Matt guides the exploration with a focus on real-world application, ensuring that every interview and news segment builds towards a comprehensive, practical knowledge base. Tune in to connect the dots between software, hardware, and the innovative future of computing.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 43

Zero to ASIC Course
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