By Adam Taylor

One ongoing area we have been examining is image processing. We’ve look at the algorithms and how to capture images from different sources. A few weeks ago, we looked at the different methods we could use to receive HDMI data and followed up with an example using an external CODEC (P1 & P2). In this blog we are going to look at using internal IP cores to receive HDMI images in conjunction with the Analog Devices AD8195 HDMI buffer, which equalizes the line. Equalization is critical when using long HDMI cables.

Nexys board, FMC HDMI and the Digilent PYNQ-Z1

To do this I will be using the Digilent FMC HDMI card, which provisions one of its channels with an AD8195. The AD8195I on the FMC HDMI card needs a 3v3 supply, which is not available on the ZedBoard unless I break out my soldering iron. Instead, I broke out my Digilent Nexys Video trainer board, which comes fitted with an Artix-7 FPGA and an FMC connector. This board has built-in support for HDMI RX and TX but the HDMI RX path on this board supports only 1m of HDMI cable while the AD8195 on the FMC HDMI card supports cable runs of up to 20m—far more useful in many distributed applications. So we’ll add the FMC HDMI card.

First, I instantiated a MicroBlaze soft microprocessor system in the Nexys Video card’s Artix-7 FPGA to control the simple image-processing chain needed for this example. Of course, you can implement the same approach to the logic design that I outline here using a Xilinx Zynq SoC or Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC. The Zynq PS simply replaces the MicroBlaze.

The hardware design we need to build this system is:

MicroBlaze controller with local memory, AXI UART, MicroBlaze Interrupt controller, and DDR Memory Interface Generator.

DVI2RGB IP core to receive the HDMI signals and convert them to a parallel video format.

Video Timing Controller, configured for detection.

ILA connected between the VTC and the DVI2RBG cores, used for verification.

Clock Wizard used to generate a 200MHz clock, which supplies the DDR MIG and DVI2RGB cores. All other cores are clocked by the MIG UI clock output.

Two 3-bit GPIO modules. The first module will set the VADJ to 3v3 on the HDMI FMC. The second module enables the ADV8195 and provides the hot-plug detection.

The final step in this hardware build is to map the interface pins from the AD8195 to the FPGA’s I/O pins through the FMC connector. We’ll use the TMDS_33 SelectIO standard for the HDMI clock and data lanes.

Once the hardware is built, we need to write some simple software to perform the following:

Disable the VADJ regulator using pin 2 on the first GPIO port.

Set the desired output voltage on VADJ using pins 0 & 1 on the first GPIO port.

Enable the VADJ regulator using pin 2 on the first GPIO port.

Enable the AD8195 using pin 0 on the second GPIO port.

Enable pre- equalization using pin 1 on the second GPIO port.

Assert the Hot-Plug Detection signal using pin 2 on the second GPIO port.

Read the registers within the VTC to report the modes and status of the video received.

To test this system, I used a Digilent PYNQ-Z1 board to generate different video modes. The first step in verifying that this interface is working is to use the ILA to check that the pixel clock is received and that its DLL is locked, along with generating horizontal and vertical sync signals and the correct pixel values.

Provided the sync signals and pixel clock are present, the VTC will be able to detect and classify the video mode. The application software will then report the detected mode via the terminal window.



ILA Connected to the DVI to RGB core monitoring its output

Software running on the Nexys Video detecting SVGA mode (600 pixels by 800 lines)

With the correct video mode being detected by the VTC, we can now configure a VDMA write channel to move the image from the logic into a DDR frame buffer.

You can find the project on GitHub

If you are working with video applications you should also read these:

PL to PS using VDMA

What to do if you have VDMA issues

Creating a MicroBlaze System Video

Writing MicroBlaze Software

If you want E book or hardback versions of previous MicroZed chronicle blogs, you can get them below.

First Year E Book here

First Year Hardback here.

Second Year E Book here

Second Year Hardback here