Summary

In this chapter, we’ve introduced a better way of displaying data by creating a VGA controller and a character generator. Previously, we were limited to the physical outputs: a row of 16 LEDs, 2 tricolor LEDs, and the 7-segment display. We made good use of them for the simple testing of logic functions, our traffic light controller, and our simple calculator. We’ve used ROM to display text. We’ve introduced a programmable PLL and used the DDR2 controller we created in Chapter 9, Lots of Data? MIG and DDR2. We’re now ready to tackle our capstone project.

In the next chapter, we’ll wrap up the book by putting everything together. We can use our VGA to display the output from our temperature sensor, calculator, and microphone. We’ll also introduce the PS/2 keyboard interface to provide an easier way to control the system.