Application of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) for Data Acquisition System

Abstract

The aim of this study is to acquire a data acquisition system for the measurement of electrical and physical parameters. These parameters may be voltage, current, temperature, pressure or sound. For the aim of higher operating speed, FPGA is the most suitable platform. The serial communication protocol used in this system is UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter). The behavior and functionality of UART is then studied. This is followed by the selection of appropriate board for the application. A basic Xillinx board, Basys 3 is chosen for this purpose. Three different stages are decided viz. focused on the memory element, UART and XADC (Xilinx Analog to digital converter). After the experimentation, it is concluded that the complex part lied within the XADC. On partially overcoming this complexity, a baud rate of 9600 is achieved. Finally, the cost estimation is done. The cost of the system is comparatively less than other available systems in market. This developed system is now capable of handling data at a higher rate.