Do I need Vitis to write embedded software for ZCU106 using Simulink?

Hi everyone,

I’ve just started working on a project using the ZCU106 (Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoC) evaluation board. My goal is to write a simple "Hello World" program, like toggling a user LED, using Simulink Embedded Coder to generate code for the ARM processor (Cortex-A53 or R5).

I have a few questions:

1. Do I need to install Vitis to achieve this, or can I accomplish my goal with just Simulink Embedded Coder ?
2. Do I have to install Vitis Model Composer for interacting with peripherals (like GPIOs) on the ZCU106, or can I rely on other tools for this purpose?

I’m mainly focused on embedded software and not FPGA programming, so I’m hoping to avoid any FPGA-specific tools unless absolutely necessary.

Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

[Jaskirat]

Hi @Niccolò,

I understand you want to create a project using the ZCU106 evaluation board.

While Vitis can be helpful, it is not an essential requirement for your project. The following link shows an example on how to use the ZCU106 evaluation board with SoC blockset which can help you accomplish your task:

https://www.mathworks.com/help/releases/r2023b/soc/ug/Using-a-Custom-Board-with-SoC-Blockset.html

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

[Sahas]

Hi @Niccolò,

Vitis is not essential for your requrement. You can MathWorks tools such as Embedded Coder and Simulink Coder for this task.

Please refer to the following MathWorks documentation example for more information:

• https://www.mathworks.com/hardware-support/arm-cortex-a.html
• https://www.mathworks.com/help/releases/r2023b/soc/ug/Using-a-Custom-Board-with-SoC-Blockset.html
• https://www.mathworks.com/help/hdlcoder/ug/getting-started-with-hardware-software-codesign-workflow-for-zynq-ultrascale-mpsoc-devices.html

I hope this is beneficial!