pynq_to_zynq

Phase 4: Beyond the Basics ( Graduation )

1. You Are Now a Hybrid Developer

Congratulations. You have crossed the chasm that separates 99% of developers.

• Software Developers see the FPGA as a black box.
• Hardware Engineers see Python as a scripting toy.
• You now see them as a single, unified system.

You have learned that Hardware is just an accelerated function call. You can move logic from Python to Verilog and back again, choosing the right tool for the job.

2. Skills You Have Unlocked

Skill	What you can build now
MMIO (Phase 2)	Custom drivers for sensors, motors, and legacy chips.
Overlay Creation (Phase 3)	Hardware accelerators for crypto, signal processing, or proprietary logic.
IP Integration	Combining Xilinx IPs (Video, DMA, DSP) into complex SoCs.
Python Glue	Rapid prototyping of hardware-controlled applications.

3. Where to Go Next?

Now that you understand the “Flow”, you can choose your specialization.

Path A: High Performance Computing (HLS)

Writing Verilog is hard. High Level Synthesis (HLS) allows you to write C/C++ code and compile it into Hardware IP.

• Explore: Vitis HLS.
• Goal: Take a heavy Python function (like an Image Filter), rewrite it in C++, compile to IP, and speed it up by 100x.

Path B: Video & Vision

The Zynq is a beast at video processing.

• Explore: AXI Video Direct Memory Access (VDMA).
• Goal: Create a pipeline that takes HDMI in, applies an edge-detection filter in hardware, and outputs HDMI.

Path C: The Operating System (The Deep Dive)

Throughout this journey, we used the “Standard” PYNQ SD card image. But what if you need to build your own?

• What if you need a Real-Time Kernel?
• What if you need a minimal OS that boots in 2 seconds?
• What if you need to modify the Device Tree?

This requires stepping off the “Easy Path” and learning to build Embedded Linux from scratch.

4. The Loopback Project

Your learning journey doesn’t end here; it just gets deeper.

The Loopback Project in this repository is the advanced course. It documents the painful, messy, real-world process of building a custom programmable logic IP and the software and OS to support it.

It covers:

1. Pure Hardware: Building a Video Test Pattern Generator.
2. OS Construction: Building PetaLinux from source (Bare Metal style).
3. Kernel Hacking: Writing a kernel module for interrupts.
4. The Full Stack: A complete end-to-end video application.

If you are ready to enter the factory and see how the OS is actually made:

Enter The Loopback Project

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