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

The teaching of electronic systems architecture cover a large domain from s oftware to hardware aspects. Producing engineers who are experts in both ar eas seems impossible, but giving the students a second expertise is obvious ly important. The subject matter of this paper Is to report a course develo ped for students in computer science to give them an expertise in digital e lectronic problems through the use of a heterogeneous architecture. The app lication supporting this teaching is image synthesis, partially programmed on TRANSPUTER microprocessors and partially synthesized with two FPGA's. Th anks to this example, students use a large set of CAD tools and understand the advantages and drawbacks of cabled solutions versus programmed solution s. The developed application is finally validated on a board designed by ot hers students. Beyond technical achievements, students also gain experience working in teams on a project with a module partitioning.