Learning FPGAs: What Do Other Engineers Recommend?

I have co-moderated the FPGA/CPLD Design Group on LinkedIn since 2007. I do this in part to learn more about the FPGA/CPLD domain myself, and in part to help other engineers learn more about FPGAs and other programmable devices.

One question that is often repeated (the LinkedIn discussions are deleted after a time period of about a year) is "What are some good materials from which one can learn about HDLs (hardware description languages) and FPGAs?" Hopefully, with Max's help and input from other members on All Programmable Planet, we can post a list that can remain up until it becomes outdated. (Things often become outdated sooner than one might think in the world of high technology, but VHDL and Verilog have lots of inertia.)

As a starting point, the following is an extract of the LinkedIn FPGA/CPLD Design Group's best recommendations over the last 18 months or so:

• Dhaval Panchal: Verilog HDL by Samir Palnitkar offers a good guide to digital design and synthesis.
• Amit Patel: "The Designer's Guide to VHDL" by Peter J. Ashenden.
• Evangelos Vassalos: Fundamentals of Digital Logic with VHDL Design and Fundamentals of Digital Logic with Verilog Design by Stephen Brown and Zvonko Vranesic. I think they are two of the best textbooks written for HDL.
• Duncan Allen: HDL Chip Design by Douglas J Smith is my "go to" book for both Verilog and VHDL.
• Vadim Vaynerman: I liked Circuit Design with VHDL by Volnei Pedroni. I started with Ashenden's text, but while that's a good VHDL language reference, it doesn't always make a distinction between the language itself and its synthesizable subset, which is important when working with FPGAs and ASICs.
• Peter Dudley: For learning RTL design and the VHDL language. I recommend Essential VHDL: RTL Synthesis Done Right by Sundar Rajan.
• Michael Sabielny: I strongly recommend "A Structured VHDL Design Method" for creating robust and synthesizable designs.
• Kevin Wahila: I second HDL Chip Design by Douglas J Smith. I will also add that my company has twice used Doulos for internal training and their material is fantastic.
• John Hunt, PE: If you want to learn Verilog, I suggest Verilog HDL by Samir Palnitkar.
• Randy Hartgrove: I like Verilog By Example by Blaine C. Readler. It is a good intro for FPGA design.
• Elena Matei (Vostinar): Doulos training is very good. Also they have a good "VHDL Golden Reference Guide." This is a small guide that is very useful to have with you when writing your VHDL code.
• Björn Ekeblom: The "VHDL Handbook" is a useful pocket handbook for VHDL. Also, The Designer's Guide to VHDL by Peter J. Ashenden is the VHDL Bible.
• Thijs Beckers: Something more advanced is Microprocessor Design using Verilog HDL by Monte Dalrymple.
• Sreekanth Narapareddy: In terms of architectural development, I suggest Advanced FPAG Design: Architecture, Implementation, and Optimization by Steve Kilts. For learning Verilog, FPGA Prototyping By Verilog Examples: Xilinx Spartan-3 Version by Pong P. Chu. After you've gained some experience, a very nice book is FPGA Design: Best Practices for Team-Based Design by Philip Simpson. To get a clear idea about FPGA internals such as LUTs, Block RAM, CLBs, Logic Cells, etc., The Design Warrior's Guide to FPGAs: Devices, Tools, and Flows by Clive "Max" Maxfield.

And, last but certainly not least, you should plan to study the user guides from the various programmable device vendors, such as:

• Xilinx
• Achronix
• Actel
• Altera
• Atmel
• Cypress Semiconductor
• Lattice Semiconductor
• QuickLogic
• Tabular

For those of you with industry experience, what recommendations for learning HDLs and FPGAs would you give to a beginner?