A Project synopsis on

ASIC Implementation of a USB to HDMI Interface

Submitted in the partial fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree of

Bachelor of Engineering
IN

Electronics and Communication Engineering

Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum

Submitted by 1) 2) 3) 4) Mahesh K C Pallavi V R Apoorva C R Shriharsha S 1BM10EC058 1BM11EC416 1BM11EC403 1BM10EC104

Batch number: P16

Under the guidance of

Mr Jeeru Dinesh Reddy

Assistant Professor

Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering

BMS College of Engineering

(Autonomous College Affiliated to Visvesvaraya Technological University, Belgaum) Bull temple Road, Basavanagudi, Bangalore-19

ASIC Implementation of a USB to HDMI interface Introduction: The significance of this project lies in the fact that the hardware required to interface the projector to display the intended data is bulky, which is the CPU of a computer. Also the portability issues concerned with the processing unit is complex. This project aims at alleviating this problem by providing a hardware that is specific to this purpose. Moreover the present day projectors come with a facility of USB interface which is absent in the older ones. As USB is the most popular data storage device, it is most appropriate that an interface of this device to the projector is provided.

About the guide: As the project is based on the ASIC implementation of a controller, we found out that Mr J Dinesh Reddy sir was the right person to guide us. When we approached with an idea on similar grounds, that is the interface of the USB flash drive to smartphones, it was received with utmost appreciation and questioned about the consequences of it. While exploring the same, the thought of interfacing the USB drive to the projector came into light. It was this idea that our guide proposed which intrigued us to pursue this as the mini project. Further the development of a Real time operating system for the hardware and an application to handle the power point presentation was also mentioned during the discussion which would be a part of the major project. He wholeheartedly sat with us brainstorming this idea and guiding us in the right initiative to the project. We seek Mr J Dinesh Reddy sirs blessings and guidance to be successful in this project.

Motivation: A picture speaks a thousand words. A graphical representation of a data is more congenial than an hour long lecture. The mind perceives better, what it sees than what it hears. This idea is well employed in teaching. The pictorial representation help the knowledge seekers to learn better. In the cases of the schools in rural area, although a projector could be afforded, as it rarely an autonomous device, the supporting, sedentary CPU must also be procured, which many a times is beyond the budget and also poses portability issues. The thought of a device that can replace the CPU and also reduce the space occupied with a favourable check on the cost too fascinated us. This device is also very helpful for the corporate people to deliver presentations on the go. These noble intuition made us formulate this idea and work on it, which we believe could have a positive impact in many sectors.

Problem statement: The conventionally used projectors are built with either a VGA (Video Graphic Array) input interface or a HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface). This serves as a path for the data to be communicated between the CPU and the display device. But the data that is to be displayed has to be managed and delivered from the CPU itself. In the recent times, the advent of Flash memories has rendered the usage of the flash drives on a rampage. As it is the most popularly used storage device, it is appropriate that the projector has a USB input support. The present situation exists such that the flash drive can be inserted to the CPU and then the display unit can access its data, denying its direct interface. This increases the hardware required and also causes portability issues making it less user convenient. Also to incorporate the USB interface hardware into the presently existing projectors devoid of the facility, could aggravate the complexity.

Solution: The pervasiveness of the ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) technology in the recent times is used to assuage this problem. Devising a hardware that is specific to the cited purpose will reduce the complexity at the same time elevating the flexibility of the present projectors. Also this makes the display device less dependent on the CPU. Because of its application oriented solution, which is free from other unused inherent applications, unlike a microcontroller, it can be made compact and result in its portability.

Theory: The knowledge about the following protocols are a mandate to have a clear understanding of the project. USB: The Universal Serial Bus[1] is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and communications protocols used in a bus for connection, communication, and power supply between computers and electronic devices. It was designed to standardize the connection of computer peripherals (like the keyboards, pointing devices, digital cameras, printers, disk drives) to personal computers thus effectively replacing a variety of earlier interfaces, such as serial and parallel ports, as well as separate power chargers for portable devices. The USB communication[2] happens in the form of data packets. Initially, all packets are sent from the host to devices. Some of those packets direct a device to send some packets in reply. After the sync field, data is transmitted in packets of 8 bytes with the least-significant bit first. The first byte is a packet identifier (PID) byte. The PID is actually 4 bits; the byte consists of the 4-bit PID followed by its bitwise complement. This redundancy helps detect errors. HDMI: HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)[3] is a compact audio/video interface for transferring uncompressed video data and compressed/uncompressed digital audio data from a HDMI-compliant device to a compatible computer monitor, video projector, digital television, or digital audio device. HDMI is a digital replacement for existing analogue video standards. Flash storage/USB Storage device: This is the portable memory storage unit comprising of flash memory. The flash memory is designed from the Solid State Device and can be divided as NOR flash and the NAND flash. The mass storage device usually employs the NAND flash as it has a higher memory density and has a larger data access.

Working: The device is a modest one with the USB interface[4] is present at the input end consequently followed by the ASIC implemented controller and the HDMI output port. The input is one to which the flash storage device is inserted. This provides an input path for the data in the USB drive. The function of the controller is to pave an effective path for the communication between the USB port and output HDMI port. The application specific controller implemented on an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) accepts the data present in the USB drive and manifests it to the HDMI data standards. The voltage difference between the two protocols is managed by this controller. The output is an HDMI interface port to which the corresponding cable is connected. The other end of the cable is given as an input to the projector via its HDMI data input port for the data to be displayed.

Block Diagram:

Tools and software used: Platform used is the Vortex FPGA Simulation and synthesis tool used is the Xilinx 14.1 SDK and the ISE simulator. A female USB pin connector HDMI interface port

 HDMI cable to connect the hardware with the projector

Advantages: The controller is implemented on an FPGA thus bringing about the indigenousness in the design. Since this device bypasses the computer, the higher power consumption due to the CPU is eliminated. It also helps alleviate the space and congestion problem. Since this device is interfaced with the existing projectors, it provides the adaptability of the current projector to the advanced features and cutting down the cost of purchasing a sophisticated projector. It is also portable and can be used on the go, provided the availability of a projector.

Further developments: This idea is a very basic one in a sense that only the USB can be interfaced and the root pictures can be displayed. The proposed plan in the development of this device is the implementation of a Real Time Operating System on this hardware platform with an application for handling the power point files autonomously without the aid of the computer. This will increase the adaptability of the device providing a more convenient user interface. Also, with the thorough simulation and testing done, a thought of fabricating the actual hardware is due in the course. References: 1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB 2) USB Receiver/Transmitter for FPGA Implementation Przemyslaw M. Szecwka, Kamil J. Pyrzynski, Faculty of Microsystem Electronics and Photonics, Wroclaw University of Technology, Wroclaw, Poland 3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMI 4) A USB 2.0 controller for an ARM7TDM-S processor implemented on an FPGA by John Keithley L Difuntorum, Kristine Mari U. Matutina, Al Jerome Mervyn Z Tong, Anastacia Ballesil Alvarez, Joy Alinda Reyes Madamba.