Teaching hardware/software system codesign using CAD tools: a case study in image synthesis

The teaching of electronic systems architecture covers a large domain from software to hardware aspects. Producing engineers who are experts in both areas seems impossible, but giving the students a second expertise is obviously important. The subject matter of this paper is to report a course developed for students in computer science to give them an expertise in digital electronic problems through the use of a heterogeneous architecture. The application supporting this teaching is image synthesis, partially programmed on transputer microprocessors and partially synthesized with two FPGAs. Thanks to this example, students use a large set of CAD tools and understand the advantages and drawbacks of cabled solutions versus programmed solutions. The developed application is finally validated on a board designed by others students. Beyond technical achievements, students also gain experience working in teams on a project with a module partitioning.