JHDL

JHDL (Just-Another Hardware Description Language) is a low-level structural hardware description language, focused primarily on building circuits via an Object Oriented approach that bundles collections of gates into Java objects. Implemented as a toolset and class library on top of the Java programming language, its primary use is for the design of digital circuits for implementation in field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Particular attention was paid to supporting the Xilinx series of chips.

When the design is ready to be placed in a fabric, the developer simply generates an Electronic Design Interchange Format (EDIF) netlist and imports it into a toolkit. Once the netlist is imported, the developer should be able to transfer the circuit via a Joint Test Action Group (JTAG) cable. EDIF netlisting is supported for the XC4000, Virtex, and Virtex-II series of FPGAs.

JHDL was developed at BYU in the Configurable Computing Laboratory, the project initiated in 1997. [1] As of July 2013, the latest update to the JHDL project was made in May 2006 according to the official JDHL website.

Features

The JHDL language features include:

Behavioral synthesis is not yet fully supported.

The integrated JHDL Workbench environment is designed to allow developers to graphically test and trace their circuit designs. This tool includes:

Naming

Originally, the J in "JHDL" stood for "Java". However, to prevent trademark issues, the name has been backronymed to stand for Just-Another Hardware Description Language.

References

  1. ↑ Brent E. Nelson, "The Mythical CCM: In Search of Usable (and Resuable) FPGA-Based General Computing Machines," asap, pp.5-14, IEEE 17th International Conference on Application-specific Systems, Architectures and Processors (ASAP'06), 2006
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