Unlike the verilog modules we have discussed so far, we want to create a module which has no inputs or outputs in this case. The first step in writing a testbench is creating a verilog module which acts as the top level of the test. This gives us a textual output which we can use to check the state of our signals at given times in our simulation. In this case, we would need to use system tasks to monitor the outputs of our design. We can also make use of EDA playground which is a free online verilog simulation tool. The freely available software packages from Xilinx ( Vivado) and Intel ( Quartus) both offer this capability.Īlternatively, open source tools such as icarus verilog can be used in conjunction with GTKWave to run verilog simulations. Instead, we can use a simulation tool which allows for waveforms to be viewed directly. Therefore, we don't discuss the output checking block as it adds unnecessary complexity. The main purpose of this post is to introduce the skills which will allow us to test our solutions to the exercises on this site. It is also possible to include all of these different elements in a single file. The stimulus and output checker will be in separate files for larger designs. The stimulus block generates the inputs to our FPGA design and the output checker tests the outputs to ensure they have the correct values. The diagram below shows the typical architecture of a simple testbench. Testbenches consist of non- synthesizable verilog code which generates inputs to the design and checks that the outputs are correct. If you are interested in learning more about testbench design using either verilog or SystemVerilog, then there are several excellent courses paid course available on sites such as udemy. This allows us to test designs while working through the verilog tutorials on this site. If you are hoping to design FPGAs professionally, then it will be important to learn this skill at some point.Īs it is better to focus on one language as a time, this blog post introduces the basic principles of testbench design in verilog. System Verilog is widely adopted in industry and is probably the most common language to use. We can write our testbench using a variety of languages, with VHDL, Verilog and System Verilog being the most popular. When using verilog to design digital circuits, we normally also create a testbench to stimulate the code and ensure that it functions as expected. Finally, we go through a complete verilog testbench example. This includes modelling time in verilog, the initial block, verilog-initial-block and the verilog system tasks. We start by looking at the architecture of a Verilog testbench before considering some key concepts in verilog testbench design. In this post we look at how we use Verilog to write a basic testbench.
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