Towards a modular communication system for FPGAs

This paper describes the prototype development of a flexible communication system. The emphasis is about software concerns, considering that FPGA technologies are the core of the project. It also shows how the components used were specified and chosen, after making an analysis of the available state-of-the-art technologies. The idea of creating a flexible and modular communication system motivated the project. It should communicate different components in a network in order to obtain a distributed system. Another characteristic is the possibility of integration with rapid prototyping concepts. As an example of this kind of needs, there is the NBP, which consists of a railway track that should communicate its linear motors. It is important to always consider time and cost restrictions, besides the security provided through the reliability of the messages traffic.