HardwareC_uart_example.hc

/**
 * Simple UART module to explore basic HardwareC concepts.
 *
 * HardwareC is a working name for a new hardware description language.  The
 * goal is to make FPGAs easier for hobbyists to take advantage of.  To achieve
 * this goal, some design choices have been made:
 *
 * 1. Use familiar syntax.  C/C++ syntax is borrowed everywhere, no reason to
 *    reinvent the wheel.  Where C/C++ falls short, borrow from Verilog/SystemVerilog.
 * 2. Interrop with C/C++.  A HardwareC module should be able to be used seamlessly
 *    in an Arduino sketch targetting an FPGA board.  Function calls should be compatible
 *    with C/C++.
 * 3. HardwareC is _not_ high level synthesis.  It will do what you tell it to
 *    do and it will not make complicated micro-architecture decisions for you.
 * 4. Functions and threads are procedures that run over time like in C/C++.  They are
 *    converted to statemachines or microcoded machines along with the corresponding
 *    data-path.
 *
 * Please poke holes in this simple example and ask questions.
 */
module uart <
    type tx_buffer_t implements fifo,
    type rx_buffer_t implements fifo
> (
    output logic tx,
    input  logic rx
) {
    tx_buffer_t tx_buffer;
    rx_buffer_t rx_buffer;
  
    // module
    function void write(uint8_t data) {
        tx_buffer.put(data);
    }
    
    function uint8_t read() {
        return rx_buffer.get();
    }
    
    function bool has_data() {
        return !rx_buffer.is_empty();
    }
    
    thread tx_data {
        while (1) {
            uint8_t tx_data = tx_buffer.get();
            
            // start bit
            tx = 1;
            wait 100us;
            
            // send data
            for (uint8_t i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
                tx = data[i];
                wait 100us;
            }
            
            // stop bit
            tx = 0;
            wait 100us;
        }
    }
    
    thread rx_data {
        while (1) {
            // wait for start bit
            wait until rx = 1;
            wait 150us;
            
            // shift in data
            uint8_t data = 0;
            for (uint8_t i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
                data[i] = rx;
                wait 100us;
            }
            
            // stop bit
            wait 100us;
            
            rx_buffer.put(data);
        }
    }
}

I like where you're going with this!

It could be nice to choose a newer language to model the syntax after, though (i.e. Rust). This would make the language more difficult to implement, but also give you a slightly more future-forward edge to increase likelihood of adoption. The trait-esque stuff you've got going on at the top ([...] implements [...]) might translate well in a more Rust-like syntax, too.

I agree with @toastedcornflakes on the explicitness of the clock, to some degree, but I can understand why you'd want to retain a behavior that's more analogous to the way the non-FPGA world thinks about clocks.

Overall: very cool. Excited to see more 👍