HDL: From Zero to Mastery
Your Complete FPGA Learning Journey
Welcome, David!
A fresh start to the new year. Today, you begin mastering FPGAs.
Your Goal
- → Build industrial controllers with MODBUS, CAN Bus, RS-485
- → Run Rust on a soft-core CPU inside your FPGA
- → Create USB devices for personal research
- → Control multiple Picos from a central FPGA hub
Why You're Here
For years, you've watched others build hardware that thinks, chips that reason, and devices that bridge the digital and physical worlds. You've read the success stories, seen the possibilities, and felt that pull toward something more fundamental than software alone.
Today marks the end of spectating. January 1, 2026 is your line in the sand.
You're not here to dabble. You're here to master FPGAs, to think in hardware, and to build systems that run at the speed of electrons.
The journey ahead:
- Week 1-2: The foundations. It will feel slow. That's normal.
- Week 3-6: Your first real circuits. LEDs, counters, interfaces.
- Week 7-9: Communication protocols. The industrial world opens up.
- Week 10-12: Your masterpiece. A complete system running Rust on hardware you designed.
By April 2026, you won't just understand FPGAs. You'll wield them.
What You'll Build in 2026
Six milestone projects that take you from blinking LEDs to running Rust on custom silicon
LED Controller with PWM
Your first synthesizable design. Breathing LEDs controlled by custom logic.
Read MoreUART Serial Bridge
Connect your FPGA to the world. Send and receive data at 115200 baud.
Read MoreSPI Flash Controller
Read and write to external memory. Handle real-world timing constraints.
Read MoreMulti-Pico Orchestrator
Central FPGA hub managing multiple Raspberry Pi Picos via UART and SPI.
Read MoreRISC-V Soft Core + Rust
Your masterpiece: A CPU you instantiated, running Rust code you wrote, on an FPGA you programmed.
Read MoreEach project builds on the last. By April, you'll have a portfolio that proves you don't just read about hardware—you create it.
Phase 1: Fundamentals
Weeks 1-2 • 5 Essential Lessons
The Mental Model
Understanding what HDL actually is (not programming!)
Master the fundamental mental shift from sequential programming to parallel hardware description. This is the key to everything.
Your First Module
Writing and understanding basic Verilog modules
Write your first Verilog module with proper syntax. Learn module structure, ports, and basic assignments.
Simulation & Testbenches
Testing your designs before hardware
Learn to write testbenches and simulate your designs. See waveforms and verify behavior before touching hardware.
Combinational vs Sequential
The two fundamental types of logic
Understand the critical difference between combinational and sequential logic. Learn when to use each type.
Counters & State Machines
Building your first sequential circuits
Design counters and finite state machines. These patterns form the foundation of all digital systems.
Phase 2: Real Hardware
Unlocks after completing Phase 1 • UART, SPI, I2C implementations