FPGA-Based Digital Signal Processing Trainer

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) have been used in a wide range of applications including the field of digital signal processing (DSP). This paper presents the use of an FPGA in the implementation of a DSP trainer that will serve as an educational tool to effectively teach the fundamental principles of digital signal processing. This trainer is capable of performing a 1024-point discrete Fourier transform, convolution, correlation, and finite impulse response filter, which includes a low pass, high pass, and band pass filter. This paper also describes the capability of an FPGA to internally generate different input signals like a square wave, triangle wave, and a sine wave, to accept an external signal from a microphone, an MP3 player and the like, to output the transformed signal in digital or analog form, and through the use of a VGA port, to visualize the signals in a display device making this trainer low cost.