Incorporating Altera FPGA Demo boards in Computer Engineering Labs

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are widely used as teaching tools in university computer engineering laboratories.Numerous computationally intensive applications such as IP cores, ASICs and microcontrollers are prototyped on FPGAs to reduce the number of cycles and the time to market.This paper presents our experience in incorporating Altera DE-2 FPGA board equipped with Altera Cyclone-II FPGA demo boards into variety of computer engineering courses at the University of Missouri-Rolla.The paper details application of Altera DE-2 board into sophomore and senior courses.The sophomore course, the digital systems design, incorporates embedded systems using the 8051 microcontroller, and in senior courses such as VLSI design and computer architecture, where designs utilizing multiple-components (systemlevel design) can be prototyped and verified.The paper presents the benefits of introducing industrial-standard design tools to our students so that students will focus on whether they have designed their circuits correctly.