Introduction

The ZCU106 Evaluation Kit is a development board designed by Xilinx for prototyping and evaluating designs based on their Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC platform. This guide will provide an overview of the kit, its components, and how to get started with it.

Table of Content

ZCU106 Evaluation Kit Overview

With the ZCU106 Evaluation Kit, designers may quickly prototype solutions for applications such as streaming and encoding, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), surveillance, and video conferencing. With the ZynqTM UltraScale+TM MPSoC EV device included in this kit, which supports all main peripherals and interfaces, development for a broad range of applications is made possible. A quad-core Arm® Cortex®-A53 applications processor, a dual-core Cortex-R5 real-time processor, a MaliTM-400 MP2 graphics processing unit, an H.264/H.265 video codec capable of 4KP60, and 16nm FinFET+ programmable logic are all integrated with the ZU7EV device.  

A quad-core Arm® Cortex®-A53 applications processor, a dual-core Cortex-R5 real-time processor, a MaliTM-400 MP2 graphics processing unit, an H.264/H.265 video codec capable of 4KP60, and 16nm FinFET+ programmable logic are all integrated with the ZU7EV device. 

Figure1-ZCU106 Evaluation Kit

ZCU106 Evaluation Kit Features

• Optimized for quick application prototyping with Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC
• Integrated video codec unit supports H.264/H.265
• HDMI video input and output
• PCIe® Endpoint Gen3x4, USB3, DisplayPort, and SATA
• DDR4 SODIMM – 72-bit with ECC attached to the processor subsystem
• DDR4 Component – 64-bit attached to programmable logic
• 2x SFP+ cages
• 2x FPGA mezzanine card (FMC) interfaces for I/O expansion

BOARD LAYOUT

Figure2-BOARD LAYOUT

Configuration                                                          

Onboard JTAG circuitry to enable configuration over USB

Dual quad-SPI flash memory

Boot from SD card

Memory

PS DDR4 72-bit SODIMM

PL DDR4 component

Quad-SPI flash

SD card slot

Control & I/O

6x directional pushbuttons

DIP switches

PMBUS & System Controller MSP430 for power, clocks, and I2C bus switching

USB2/3

Expansion Connectors

2x FMC-HPC connectors

2 Pmod headers

Communication & Networking

SDI (x1 GTH)

AES3 audio connector

SFP+ cage (2x 2GTH)

SMA (x1 GTH)

UART to USB bridge

RJ-45 Ethernet connector

SATA (1x GTR)

PCIe Gen3 Endpoint (x4 GTH)

Display

HDMI video input and output (x3 GTH)

DisplayPort (2x GTR)

Clocking

Programmable clocks

System clocks, user clocks, jitter attenuated clocks

Power

12V wall adaptor or ATX

ZCU106 Evaluation Kit Components:

ZCU106 Evaluation Board: The main board contains the Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC, DDR4 memory, interfaces (such as USB, Ethernet, HDMI), and expansion connectors.

Power Supply: A power adapter or USB cable is typically used to power the board.

Cables: Various cables are included for connecting peripherals and debugging, such as USB cables, HDMI cables, and Ethernet cables.

Documentation: The kit includes user guides, reference manuals, and tutorials to help users get started with the board and development tools.

Figure3-ZCU106 Evaluation Kit Components

How to get started with the ZCU106 Evaluation Kit?

1. Setting Up Hardware:

Connect the power supply to the ZCU106 board.

Connect peripherals (such as mouse, keyboard, monitor) using the available ports (USB, HDMI).

If necessary, connect the board to your development computer using Ethernet or USB.

2. Setting Up Software:

Download and install the required software tools, including Xilinx Vivado Design Suite and Xilinx SDK.

Follow the user guide instructions to install additional drivers or software packages.

3. Board Configuration:

Depending on your application, you may need to configure the FPGA fabric and boot parameters. This can be done using Xilinx Vivado or SDK.

4. Running Examples:

Xilinx provides a variety of example projects and tutorials to help you get started with the ZCU106 board. These can be found in the documentation or online resources.

Load an example project onto the board and observe its behavior. This will help you understand the board's capabilities and how to develop your applications.

5. Developing Applications:

Once you are familiar with the board and development tools, you can start developing your applications. This may involve designing hardware accelerators in the FPGA fabric, writing software for the ARM cores, or a combination of both.

Refer to the documentation and online resources for guidance on specific tasks, such as interfacing with peripherals, implementing signal processing algorithms, or optimizing performance.

6. Debugging and Testing:

Use the debugging features of Vivado or SDK to diagnose and fix any issues in your design.

Test your applications thoroughly to ensure they meet the required performance and functionality criteria.

7. Documentation and Support:

If you encounter any difficulties or have questions about the ZCU106 board, refer to the user guides, reference manuals, and online forums for assistance.

Xilinx provides technical support and community forums where you can ask questions and share experiences with other users.

Figure4-ZCU106 Evaluation Kit

ZCU106 Evaluation Kit Start Guide

Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC ZCU106 Evaluation Kit Quick Start Guide