Hardware Descriptive Languages: An Efficient Approach to Device Independent Designs with Complex Programmable Logic Devices and Field Programmable Gate Arrays

Contemporarily, owing to astronomical advancements in the very large scale integration (VLSI) market segments, hardware engineers are now focusing on how to develop their new digital system designs in programmable languages like very high speed integrated circuit hardwaredescription language (VHDL) and Verilog and consequently target it to Complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs) and Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). If this is properly implemented, it will reduce bulkiness of most of the presently used electronic and electrical devices in our technology This paper will focus on using VHDL to design an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) liquid dispenser controller system while targeting the device independent architecture (Ultra 3700 CPLD series) for synthesis, optimization and fitting to realize the design. The ASIC controller will have two bin cans to dispense regular and diet drinks. The system will dispense a drink if the user activates a button for that drink and at least one can is available. A refill signal appears when both bins are empty. Activating a reset signal informs the system that the machine has been refilled and the bins are full. The design methodology is presented with other details in the body of this paper.Keywords: Very high speed integrated circuit hardware descriptive language (VHDL); Application Specific Integrated Circuit; Synthesis (ASIC); Complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs); field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs

Design and Implementation of Web-Based Courses for Distance Learning Programme in Nigeria

Open education has come to stay as a sandwich or satellite campuses programs in tertiary institutions. This open education kicked off with the use of text, radio, television as tools for implementing it. Advancement is made because of progress in technology so the use of internet and video conferencing. To implement distance education (DE) is our institutions, there are three options. According to Keegan (2000), these options are:• Renting a kernel from any of the leading providers• Adaptation of the existing kernel for use• Developing of one‟s system.With the first option, an institution that wants to deploy and deliver courses on the web within a minimal delay gets a system with generalized and non-modifiable functionality. In the second option, the kernel is customized and adapted to meet an institution‟s requirements but most a times the kernel may not be able to cover all requirements. This paper concentrates on the third option, which is more reliable. Here an institution wants to include certain features that are peculiar to their environment as far as course delivery is concerned, as opposed to the other two options when an institution want to follow an already established course delivery pattern. This option is also, desirable when an institution wants to address more than 10,000 students.Keywords: E-learning; Web; Server; Implementatio