I have to study VHDL from 0 and i'd like to have an option that runs under a linux kernel instead of NT/Windows: any tips?
I can also really appreciate some good links to good VHDL resources for a beginner, thanks.
Electronic – VHDL IDE for a GNU/linux environment
idevhdl
Related Solutions
At the risk of sounding like a broken record...
PSoC5 is your answer! (It's amazing how many times PSoC is the answer)
The PSoC5 MCU has an ARM Cortex M3 core, and a bunch of other brilliant features that practically no other MCU has. Unlike other MCUs, setting up the peripherals is as fun as eating ice cream, and you can even create your own in Verilog! The IDE is pretty good, and totally free.
The Development Kit is great, and full of features and comes with the programmer, which you can use for your future projects. It's not too expensive.
You'll have to supply a pulse to CONVST_A, CONVST_B, CONVST_C and CONVST_D for all three ADCs to start their conversions. Use an external clock (XCLK) to synchronize the conversions. Check the BUSY/INT output for end-of-conversion:
When bit C27 = 1 (BUSY/INT in CONFIG), this pin is an interrupt output. This pin transitions high after a conversion has been completed and remains high until the next read access. This mode can only be used if all eight channels are sampled simultaneously (all CONVST_x tied together). The polarity of the BUSY/INT output can be changed using bit C26 (BUSY L/H) in the Configuration Register. (page 16)
You then can read the data of the different ADCs into several registers. At that moment timing is no longer relevant to the synchronicity of the conversion.
Best Answer
Both Xilinx ISE and Altera Quartus II IDEs run under Linux. Free downloads are available:
http://www.xilinx.com/products/design-tools/ise-design-suite/ise-webpack.htm
https://www.altera.com/download/software/quartus-ii-we
There is also Symphony EDA:
http://www.symphonyeda.com/
which might be better if you don't need synthesis. It's a nice piece of software. The free version might be adequate.