DE10-Lite Course · Lesson 0 · Get ready
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Lesson 0

Get ready to build a computer from logic gates

In this course you will design real digital circuits in Verilog and run them on an FPGA board. You start with a single gate. You finish with a working CPU, or with your own retro video game.

Lesson 0 makes sure everything works

Before learning anything, we install the tools, connect the board, and prove that the whole chain works: your computer, the design software, the simulator, the cable and the board.

About one hour, mostly waiting for downloads.

Course map: a shared start, then two paths Parts 0-3, everyone gates, adders, memory Path A: the CPU your own computer Path B: retro games sprites on the screen
Lesson 0 · before you start

What you need

The DE10-Lite board

Terasic's board with an Intel MAX 10 FPGA chip, switches, buttons, LEDs and number displays.

The LCD + game-pad shield

Plugs on top of the board: a colour screen, a game pad, a wheel and a buzzer.

A USB cable

Comes with the board. It powers the board and carries your designs to it.

A Windows computer

With internet and about 20 GB free disk space. The design software is big.

And an AI chatClaude Code inside VS Code (you need a Claude account). It will be your coach for the whole course.
Lesson 0 · how this course works

Three things on your desk

Slides, chat and board Browser: the slides VS Code: the chat The board USB Teaches: read and learn Coaches: runs tools, checks, hints Proves it: you see it work
Step 1 of 5 · on your own

Install VS Code

VS Code is a program for writing code. The chat will live inside it, and you will write your Verilog in it.

  1. Go to code.visualstudio.com.
  2. Click the big Download for Windows button.
  3. Run the file you downloaded. Click Next until it finishes. The defaults are fine.
You know it worked whenVS Code opens and shows a Welcome page.
The VS Code window ← Extensions Welcome
Step 2 of 5 · on your own

Install Git

Git copies projects from the internet to your computer, and keeps them up to date. This course improves all the time, and Git is how you get the improvements.

  1. Go to git-scm.com/downloads and click Windows.
  2. Download the installer, run it, and click Next on every screen. The defaults are fine.
  3. Close VS Code and open it again, so it finds Git.
You know it worked whenyou see the next step's Git: Clone command in VS Code. If it says Git is missing, restart the computer.
Step 3 of 5 · on your own

Add your coach: Claude Code

  1. In VS Code, click the Extensions icon on the left side (four little squares).
  2. Search for Claude Code and click Install.
  3. Open it (the Claude icon) and sign in with your Claude account.
  4. Type hello in the chat and press Enter.
You know it worked whenthe chat answers you.
Using GitHub Copilot instead?That works too: sign in to GitHub in VS Code, open the Copilot chat and switch it to Agent mode. The course was built and tested with Claude Code.
Step 4 of 5 · on your own

Copy the course to your computer, with clicks only

  1. In VS Code press Ctrl+Shift+P. A search box opens at the top.
  2. Type Git: Clone and press Enter.
  3. Paste this address and press Enter: https://github.com/avisalmon/De10LiteBKM.git
  4. Choose a folder to keep it in (Documents is fine) and click Select as Repository Destination.
  5. When the message appears at the bottom, click Open, then Yes, I trust the authors.
You know it worked whenthe course's files show on the left: lessons, README.md, CLAUDE.md...
Your own work is safeEverything you make goes in the folder my_designs. Course updates never touch it.
Step 5 of 5 · the handover

Now go to the chat and type:

teach me

From here the chat leads. It installs what it can by itself, tells you exactly what to click when it needs you, and opens the next slide in your browser when it's time to read.

The chat asks before it runs anythingBefore each command it shows what it wants to run and asks permission (Allow). Read it and approve. Not sure what a command does? Ask: "what does this command do?"

Coming back tomorrow? Open VS Code and type teach me again. It continues where you stopped.

Tools · with the chat

Install Quartus and ModelSim

Quartus Prime Lite is Intel's free design software. It turns your Verilog into the exact wiring of the FPGA chip. ModelSim is the simulator: it tests your circuit on the computer before it goes to the board.

  1. Create a free account on the Altera (Intel FPGA) website. Use your own details.
  2. On the download page choose Lite Edition, release 17.1, tab Individual Files. The chat opens the page for you.
  3. Download the three files on the right into one folder.
  4. Run QuartusLiteSetup. Keep the default folder. Make sure MAX 10 and ModelSim Starter are ticked.
  5. At the end, leave the USB Blaster driver installation ticked and click Install.
Three files, one folder Downloads\quartus17 QuartusLiteSetup-17.1.0.590-windows.exe ModelSimSetup-17.1.0.590-windows.exe max10-17.1.0.590.qdz
Why version 17.1?Every lesson was tested with it. Newer versions work differently, so stay with 17.1. The install takes 15 to 30 minutes.
Tools · with the chat

Connect the board

  1. The shield: if it's not on the board yet, line its pins up with the board's black header sockets and press gently. Never force it.
  2. The cable: plug the USB cable into the board's USB port (it has only one), and the other end into your computer.
  3. The board's power LED lights up. The same cable powers the board.
  4. Tell the chat. It checks that the computer sees the board.
"No USB-Blaster found"?Windows needs the cable's driver. The chat walks you through Device Manager in a minute.
Shield on the board, cable to the computer shield DE10-Lite USB to the computer
Check 1 of 3

Check 1: does the computer have everything?

The chat runs a check-up called doctor. Every line must say OK.

Doctor ------ OK Windows 11 (AMD64) OK Python 3.12 OK running inside the project's env OK Quartus Prime 17.1.0 Lite Edition OK MAX 10 device support OK ModelSim-Intel Starter OK DE10-Lite found on the USB-Blaster All good.
  • Python and env: the helper scripts the chat uses. env is a private box of Python tools just for this course.
  • Quartus: turns your Verilog into a design for the chip.
  • MAX 10 support: Quartus' data about our exact chip.
  • ModelSim: the simulator.
  • USB-Blaster: the part of the board that talks to your computer over the cable.
A line says FAIL?That's what the check is for. It says what to fix, and the chat fixes it with you.
Check 2 of 3

Check 2: a circuit tested in the simulator

A simulation tests a circuit in software, before it goes to the chip. It is fast and shows every signal. In this course, every circuit passes a test before it goes to the board.

The chat runs a test on the smallest circuit there is: an AND gate. Its output y is 1 only when both inputs a and b are 1. The test tries all four input pairs and compares.

aby
000
010
100
111
The AND gate's waveforms aby
a=0 b=0 -> y=0 ok a=0 b=1 -> y=0 ok a=1 b=0 -> y=0 ok a=1 b=1 -> y=1 ok PASS: and_gate matches its truth table
Check 3 of 3

Check 3: your first design on the board

The chat builds a ready-made test design on your computer and sends it to the board. That proves Quartus works too. While it builds (about 2 minutes), this is what happens:

  1. Synthesis turns the Verilog into logic gates.
  2. The fitter places those gates inside the chip and wires them up.
  3. Timing analysis checks the design is fast enough.
  4. Programming sends the result over the USB cable into the chip.
Good to knowThe FPGA forgets the design when the power goes off. That's normal: you load it again with one command.
The expected screen: eight colour bars on top (white, yellow, cyan, green, magenta, red, blue, black) and the word READY in big white letters below, on dark blue.
Tell the chat what you seeColour bars and READY on the screen, rEAdY on the red number displays, and one LED running back and forth.
Lesson 0 · finish

Enter your completion code

When all three checks pass, the chat gives you a code. Type it here to finish lesson 0.

Lesson 0 done!Your computer, the tools, the cable and the board all work together.

What you proved

  • The simulator tests circuits.
  • Quartus builds a design for your chip.
  • The board runs it.

Next: lesson 0.1, what an FPGA is

Go to the chat and type teach me.