Can you short an FPGA?

Shorting it for months just might damage it. Shorting more than one pin to ground momentarily will also not damage the device. Shorting ten or more to ground for a long time just might damage the device. Driving an output pin with another chip is likely to damage the other chip, not the FPGA.

How do you reprogram an FPGA?

How to Program Your First FPGA Device

1. Materials. Hardware.
2. Step 1: Create an Intel® Quartus® Software Project.
3. Step 2: Create an HDL File. Hardware Description Language (HDL)
4. Step 3: Create a Verilog Module.
5. Step 4: Choose Pin Assignments.
6. Step 5: Create an SDC File.
7. Step 6: Compile the Verilog Code.
8. Step 7: Program the FPGA.

What is FPGA how it is programmed?

The acronym FPGA stands for Field Programmable Gate Array. It is an integrated circuit that can be programmed by a user for a specific use after it has been manufactured. Contemporary FPGAs contain adaptive logic modules (ALMs) and logic elements (LEs) connected via programmable interconnects.

Why is the FPGA program not permanent?

Note that even this final configuration process can be slightly reordered depending on flags that are set in the BIT file. I should also add that the reason the FPGA program is not permanent is because the logic fabric is composed of volatile memory (e.g. SRAM). So when the FPGA loses power, the program is forgotten.

Can FPGA be programmed like a microcontroller?

The point is that FPGA can theoretically be programmed to function as any other Digital Integrated Circuit. Take the analogy of modern-day Microcontrollers. They can be programmed again and again with different software (i.e. firmware) and their functionality changes with the firmware running on them.

How many times can an FPGA be programmed in a cycle?

SRAM based FPGAs can be programmed as many times as necessary. There is no limit until the device gets damaged by out-of-spec conditions such as voltage, temperature etc. Certain Flash-based FPGAs may have a very specific max programming cycle endurance.

Why do FPGA’s need a bit pattern to be activated?

That’s why they need e.g. Flash chips as non-volatile storage for the FPGA program, so that it can be loaded whenever the device is powered on. Compiling the HDL results in a bit pattern which indicates which connections inside the FPGA should be activated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys1e7fGeaSU