A FPGA-based rapid prototyping approach for teaching of Mechatronics Engineering

The degree of Mechatronics Engineering was first introduced in 2002 at the University of Auckland by the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Teaching such a degree requires an integrated approach to topics such as applied mechatronics, mechanical design, control and software engineering. The use of field programmable gate array (FPGA) with associated software enables students to learn various digital design techniques, simulate and quickly implement them into the design of mechatronics systems. This paper presents a FPGA-based rapid prototyping platform for teaching applied electronics, hardware description languages and motor control concepts. The platform is based on Altera's University Program UP2 Development Kit. The approach used in the application of FPGA is to accurately reflect current practice in industry rather than the more traditional TTL or CMOS chips and breadboard based approach to quickly prototype a digital system.