Compact USB HID host FPGA core
nand2mario, 8/2023
Usb_hid_host is a compact FPGA core designed to support USB keyboards, mice and gamepads. It is designed mainly for FPGA retro gaming and computing projects. The most significant advantage is its all-in-one design. It does not require a CPU to work. And it is quite small (<300 LUTs, <250 registers and 1 BRAM block).
To use usb_hid_host, simply add usb_hid_host.v, usb_hid_host_rom.v and usb_hid_host_rom.hex to your project. The module interface in usb_hid_host.v should be sufficiently documented to get you started.
Please refer to usb_hid_host.md for a more comprehensive introduction to the design of the core.
Sample projects
Sample projects are available for the following boards to demonstrate the usage of usb_hid_host.
- Tang Nano 20K (Gowin GW2A FPGA). Gowin IDE project file
usb_hid_proj.gprjis provided. Simply open it in Gowin IDE and build the project. - IceSugar-Pro and Machdyne Schoko (Lattice ECP5). These come with Makefiles for the open source Yosys/nextpnr toolchain.
- iCEBreaker and Machdyne Riegel (Lattice iCE40), also building with Yosys/nextpnr.
Connect your USB devices and expect results similar to the following.
Usb_hid_host does not rely on vendor-specific primitives, making it compatible with most FPGAs and boards. If you encounter any problems, please submit an issue.
For a larger project using usb_hid_host, see NESTang.
Future Improvements
- Handling multiple devices on a single port (USB hubs).
- Support for full-speed devices.
- Testing compatibility with more devices.
Credit
- Based on hi631's project supporting USB gamepad on Tang Nano 9K.