External resource library
Helpful resources without pretending to be the course.
A curated, external-only resource library for learners exploring HDL, RTL, FPGA, simulation, and semiconductor foundations.
Where should I start?
If these topic names are unfamiliar, that's normal — just pick whichever one sounds closest to where you're starting from.
Featured resources
A short list of the safest, most useful starting points if you don't know where to look first.
Nandland Verilog Tutorials
Verilog
Friendly Verilog examples and FPGA-oriented explanations for learners getting started with HDL.
Source: Nandland
Project F FPGA Series
Fpga
Hands-on FPGA and digital design posts with clear examples and visual explanations.
Source: Project F
HDLBits
Verilog
Interactive Verilog practice problems with instant browser-based feedback that help students build syntax fluency through progressively harder exercises.
Source: HDLBits
ASIC World Verilog Tutorial
Verilog
Comprehensive Verilog reference and tutorial covering syntax, modules, always blocks, FSMs, and testbench basics, widely cited as a go-to beginner and early-intermediate reference.
Source: ASIC World
DigitalJS Online Simulator
Digital Logic
Browser-based visual Verilog simulator designed for teaching that synthesizes HDL code and shows an animated circuit diagram, making it easy to see how logic behaves without installing any tools.
Source: DigitalJS (University of Wrocław)
ZipCPU Beginner's Verilog, Formal Verification and Verilator Tutorial
Simulation
Practical beginner tutorial that teaches Verilog alongside the full toolchain — Verilator, GTKWave, and formal verification — emphasising synthesizable RTL from the start.
Source: ZipCPU by Gisselquist Technology
Browse all resources
Showing 20 of 20 resources.
Use these filters to narrow the list below by subject area, experience level, or the format you're looking for (like a tutorial vs. a tool).
Not sure where to start? Try Beginner + Verilog or Beginner + Digital Logic.
Nandland Verilog Tutorials
Verilog
Friendly Verilog examples and FPGA-oriented explanations for learners getting started with HDL.
Source: Nandland
FPGA4Fun Verilog
Verilog
Compact HDL examples that help learners connect digital logic concepts to hardware implementation.
Source: FPGA4Fun
Icarus Verilog
Simulation
Open-source Verilog simulation tool used for compiling and running HDL testbenches.
Source: Icarus Verilog Project
Project F FPGA Series
Fpga
Hands-on FPGA and digital design posts with clear examples and visual explanations.
Source: Project F
HDLBits
Verilog
Interactive Verilog practice problems with instant browser-based feedback that help students build syntax fluency through progressively harder exercises.
Source: HDLBits
ASIC World Verilog Tutorial
Verilog
Comprehensive Verilog reference and tutorial covering syntax, modules, always blocks, FSMs, and testbench basics, widely cited as a go-to beginner and early-intermediate reference.
Source: ASIC World
DigitalJS Online Simulator
Digital Logic
Browser-based visual Verilog simulator designed for teaching that synthesizes HDL code and shows an animated circuit diagram, making it easy to see how logic behaves without installing any tools.
Source: DigitalJS (University of Wrocław)
CircuitVerse Digital Logic Simulator
Digital Logic
Free open-source browser simulator for building and testing digital logic circuits with drag-and-drop gates, truth tables, and shareable circuits for classroom use.
Source: CircuitVerse (IIIT Bangalore)
CircuitVerse Interactive Book
Digital Logic
Open interactive textbook covering digital logic fundamentals from gates and Boolean algebra through sequential circuits, paired directly with the CircuitVerse simulator.
Source: CircuitVerse
GTKWave Documentation
Simulation
Official documentation for GTKWave, the standard open-source waveform viewer used with Icarus Verilog and Verilator to inspect simulation output and debug HDL designs.
Source: GTKWave Project
Verilator User's Guide
Simulation
Official documentation for Verilator, a fast open-source HDL simulator that compiles Verilog and SystemVerilog to C++ for testbenches and waveform generation.
Source: Verilator Project
ZipCPU Beginner's Verilog, Formal Verification and Verilator Tutorial
Simulation
Practical beginner tutorial that teaches Verilog alongside the full toolchain — Verilator, GTKWave, and formal verification — emphasising synthesizable RTL from the start.
Source: ZipCPU by Gisselquist Technology
ZipCPU Blog
Rtl
In-depth FPGA and RTL design blog covering synthesizable Verilog patterns, debugging strategies, and formal verification, with a focus on real-world design habits.
Source: ZipCPU by Gisselquist Technology
Digilent Getting Started with FPGA
Fpga
Step-by-step guide from a leading educational FPGA board vendor covering how to set up an FPGA development environment and run a first HDL project on a board.
Source: Digilent
AMD Xilinx University Program Vivado Flow Tutorial
Fpga
Official vendor lab series walking through the full Vivado FPGA design flow — synthesis, simulation, I/O planning, timing analysis, and bitstream generation — targeting beginner boards.
Source: AMD Xilinx University Program
FPGA4Fun Projects
Fpga
Concise FPGA project guides covering serial interfaces, audio, video, and other practical peripherals, useful for hobbyists moving past basic examples.
Source: FPGA4Fun
UW ECE VLSI / Digital Systems Design Pathway
Vlsi
University career pathway page explaining the VLSI and digital systems design specialisation, the types of roles graduates enter, and the companies that hire them.
Source: University of Washington ECE
ASIC World: The VLSI/ASIC/FPGA Design Flow
Vlsi
Plain-English explainer of the ASIC and FPGA design flow, clarifying the difference between the two paths and where RTL, synthesis, and physical design fit in the chip design process.
Source: ASIC World
Nandland: What is an FPGA?
Fpga
Beginner-friendly overview of what FPGAs are, how they differ from microcontrollers and ASICs, and why HDL is needed to use them, written in accessible non-expert language.
Source: Nandland
Verilog Quick Reference Card (Sutherland HDL)
Verilog
Concise Verilog 2001 syntax reference from a respected HDL trainer, useful as a quick-lookup card for students and as a handout for courses or club workshops.
Source: Sutherland HDL