zbasic VS openlane

Here's sort of a generic repo you can look at which might give you some ideas.

Let me also point out that I rarely use Verilators -exe flag. I tend instead to build my designs in steps: 1) Run Verilator, 2) run make -f Vtoplvl.mk in the obj_dir directory, 3) turn my test script into an object file, and only then 4) link everything together into an executable. I've also been known for peeking at Verilator's internal variables during a simulation run--but that may be another topic entirely.

As examples: - Here's how I process libelf to provide me with an array of section pointers, each containing the address to load the values at - Here's where I then load the values into my design when I'm using an external loader via a debugging bus. - Here's another copy of the same, this time running from within Verilator rather than from within externally controlled logic.

The components found in ZBasic will split the stream into two. The key files you'll want there are dbluartsim.cpp and (again) netuart.cpp. To use dbluart, you'll need three pieces: First, you'll need to call setup() to set the baud rate, then once per clock cycle you'll want to call the operator() method--which is really just a rename for the tick() method.

I would suggest Verilog-to-routing as the best open source tool ive used that deals with abstract circuit representations on an FPGA or similar architecture. but tools like Align and Magical both accept circuit inputs as netlists and have to represent them internally for generating layout so might be easier to understand their approach depending on your familiarity with analog circuits. One more option is to look up OpenLane flow, its more an amalgamation of lots of tools but definitely also represents circuits as a graph for manipulation later on.

There are open source alternatives. https://github.com/The-OpenROAD-Project/OpenLane

OpenLane

And, there is a project called 'The OpenROAD Project' which has created an open-source framework for digital back-end design/physical design. https://github.com/The-OpenROAD-Project/OpenLane

For "how the architecture is brought to silicon": Look at OpenLane. It's a complete Verilog to GDS flow, all open source and already used for some tape-outs. https://github.com/The-OpenROAD-Project/OpenLane

Maybe you can do something that can also go to an ASIC. Take a look at openlane flow, you don't need to do the backend since it is mostly script based and you can even send it to next Skywater submission. The major problem is that you currently don't have sram access so you need to create rams from logic if you need to.

I am not sure if you can do padding with this but dropping this down in case you haven't heard it: https://github.com/The-OpenROAD-Project/OpenLane

Specifically openlane (https://github.com/The-OpenROAD-Project/OpenLane is a great way to start, although it's very painful trying to do complex designs. However, they're pretty helpful answering questions on Gitter

https://github.com/efabless/openlane The README is very helpful