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Yes—a Raspberry Pi 400 can host an FPGA development workflow for writing HDL and running Cocotb-driven simulations. Adam Taylor’s Hackster tutorial demonstrates a VHDL design simulated with GHDL; it does not show programming a physical FPGA board. The Pi is the computer running the tools, not an FPGA.
What the Raspberry Pi 400 does in this workflow
The Raspberry Pi 400 is the host computer: you edit HDL, run the simulator and Python-based tests, then inspect waveform output. Raspberry Pi describes the computer as a keyboard-integrated system with a quad-core 64-bit processor, 4GB of RAM, wireless networking, dual-display output and a 40-pin GPIO header. Those features do not make it an FPGA or establish that it can program a particular FPGA board.
The official Raspberry Pi 400 product page lists the kit contents as a mouse, power supply, micro HDMI-to-HDMI cable and an SD card preloaded with Raspberry Pi OS. The Hackster example uses a Raspberry Pi 400 running a 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS installation.
How the tools fit together
- HDL: VHDL or Verilog describes the digital logic you want to test. Adam Taylor, whom Hackster identifies as an embedded systems and FPGA engineer, writes: “The first step in learning how to develop for FPGAs is to learn one of the two main programming languages VHDL or (System)Verilog collectively referred to as Hardware Description Languages (HDLs).”
- GHDL: In the tutorial, this is the simulator used to compile and run the VHDL design.
- Cocotb: Python testbench code drives and observes the design while it is running in an HDL simulator. Cocotb supplies the test environment; it does not replace the simulator. Its official documentation describes it as a coroutine-based cosimulation environment using simulator interfaces such as VPI, VHPI or FLI. The project says it lets users test and verify chip designs in Python rather than an HDL or other EDA-specific language. See the Cocotb documentation.
- Make: The project’s Makefile coordinates compilation and simulation, so running
makelaunches the example workflow with GHDL and Cocotb. - GTKWave: The tutorial uses this waveform viewer to inspect a VCD file generated during simulation.
What the Hackster tutorial has you do
The project, published March 7, 2024, installs development and simulation tools on the Pi 400, creates a Python virtual environment, installs Cocotb and related packages, and runs a supplied project. That project includes VHDL source files, a Python testbench and a Makefile. For the original setup details and example, see Adam Taylor’s Hackster tutorial.
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- Prepare the operating system. The tutorial starts by updating its 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS installation.
- Install the development and simulation tools. Its setup uses VS Code for editing, GHDL for VHDL simulation and GTKWave for waveform inspection.
- Set up Python and Cocotb. Create a Python virtual environment and install Cocotb and the related packages needed by the example.
- Run the supplied project. In the project directory, use
maketo compile and simulate the design through GHDL with Cocotb. - Inspect the waveform. Open the generated VCD output in GTKWave to review signal changes over the simulation.
The tutorial’s installation instructions reflect the versions and practices available when it was published in March 2024. Before following its commands, check the current package names and Python environment guidance for your Raspberry Pi OS release, then consult the Cocotb stable documentation alongside the version you install.
VHDL and Verilog simulation choices
The demonstrated combination is VHDL, GHDL and Cocotb. Taylor notes that the general approach can also be used with Verilog by choosing another simulator, naming Verilator or Icarus Verilog. The tutorial does not benchmark these choices, so it does not establish which is faster or better on a Pi 400.
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| Workflow element | Demonstrated path | Alternative or consideration |
|---|---|---|
| HDL | VHDL | Verilog is also possible; the tutorial does not compare language performance. |
| Simulator | GHDL for the VHDL example | For Verilog, the tutorial names Verilator or Icarus Verilog; check simulator availability on the intended Pi OS and architecture. |
| Python testbench | Cocotb | Check that the selected simulator supports the required Cocotb interface, such as VPI, VHPI or FLI. |
| Purpose | Compile, simulate and inspect a design | Physical implementation additionally requires an FPGA board and a compatible synthesis and programming flow, which the tutorial does not specify. |
What you need to move from simulation to an FPGA
A successful simulation checks behavior in a simulator; it does not load the design onto hardware. Physical implementation requires an FPGA development board plus a toolchain that can synthesize the design for that device and program it. The Hackster tutorial names no FPGA board, device family, synthesis software or programming interface, and it does not show a hardware-loading step. Its 40-pin GPIO header is not evidence that the Pi 400 itself contains FPGA logic.
Use the tutorial as a way to learn HDL and Python-based verification on a small host computer. If your goal is a programmed circuit, choose the FPGA board and its supported toolchain separately, then confirm that your HDL, synthesis path and programming interface are compatible. The tutorial alone does not establish a particular board recommendation.
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