Ever wanted to build your own digital circuits but got scared away by complex code? Yeah, us too 🥹.
Soan Papdi changes that experience. It is a compact, beginner-friendly, pure FPGA board — no MCU, no hidden microcontroller — just raw FPGA power in your hands. It comes packed with 8 DIP switches, 8 LEDs, and 10 I/O pins, making it perfect for learning and experimenting with digital logic.
Want to know more about Soan Papdi? Check out this article.
What is iCE Studio?iCE Studio is a free, open-source, visual FPGA design tool.
Instead of writing lines of HDL code, you design your digital circuits using a drag-and-drop block editor — making it one of the most beginner-friendly ways to get started with FPGAs.No Verilog. No VHDL. No stress. 😌
Why iCE Studio + Soan Papdi ?Because life's too short for unnecessary complexity. Together they make the perfect beginner FPGA combo — visual design, quick setup, built-in examples, and fully open source!
1. What You'll NeedBefore we start, let's make sure you have everything ready.
- Soan Papdi FPGA board — obviously!
- USB-C cable — to connect the board to your computer.
- A computer — Windows, macOS, or Linux all work.
- Internet connection — needed to download the toolchain later.
- Python v3.12 or above — required for the toolchain to work (Download here)
💡 Pro Tip: Check your Python version before you start — it'll save you a headache later! Open your Terminal (or Command Prompt on Windows) and run: >> python --versionYou should see something like Python 3.12.x. If not, download and install v3.12 or above first before moving on.2. Installing iCE Studio
The current iCE Studio release doesn't include Soan Papdi board support yet — simply because Soan Papdi came after that release.
We've already contributed the Soan Papdi board changes to the official iCE Studio repository (it'll be included in their next release), but in the meantime we've compiled our own build with all the changes baked in.
Just download it from the links below:
Not sure which macOS version you have?Click Apple menu () → About This Mac — if it says M1, M2, M3 or M4 pick Apple Silicon, otherwise go with Intel.
I'm on macOS, so I'll be downloading the macOS version. If you are on Windows or Linux, you have to download accordingly.
3. Opening iCE StudioOnce downloaded, open the installer and follow the steps like any normal app.
NOTE for macOS Users:If you see "iCE Studio is damaged and can't be opened"
Don't panic, it's not actually damaged! macOS is just being overprotective. Open Terminal and run:
xattr -c /System/Volumes/Data/Applications/icestudio.appAfter that, iCE Studio will open just fine! ✅
You'll notice a popup in the bottom right saying "Toolchain not installed. Click here to install it" — perfect timing, because that's exactly what we're doing next!
4. Installing the Toolchain (APIO)Almost there! Before we can build and upload any circuit, we need to install the toolchain — think of it as the engine under the hood of iCE Studio. 🔧
Go to Tools → Toolchain → Install (Stable)
During installation, you might see a prompt asking for your password.
This is because the toolchain needs permission to install some system-level components.
Once installation is complete, you can verify it by going to:Tools → Toolchain — you should now see "Apio 0.9.5" listed there.
You may also see a "Click here to setup the drivers" popup — you can safely ignore it! Soan Papdi uses DFU (Device Firmware Upgrade) for programming, so no additional drivers are needed. Just close it and move on.
We're all set! Now let's finally build something. 🤩
5. Your First Project — Blinking an LEDThe moment we've been waiting for! 🎉 Let's build our first digital circuit — a classic blinking LED. Don't worry, it's easier than it sounds!
First, let's select our board. Go to Select → Board → Soan-Papdi(you'll see it confirmed in the bottom right corner!)
Opening the Example
iCE Studio comes with built-in examples to get you started quickly. Let's open the LED Blink example:
Go to File → Examples → Basic → 04. One LED Blink.ice
After opening, iCE Studio will ask you to Convert the pin mappings for your board. Click Convert to continue.
Our example will open. Next, select the pin you want to blink — here we are selecting D0, but you can choose any other pin too!
Now let's build the project! Click the Build button in the bottom right corner.
If everything is correct, you'll see a success message "Build done!" in green.
Build successful! 🥹Your circuit is compiled and ready to be uploaded to the board.
6. Uploading to the BoardBefore uploading, we need to tell the board "hey, get ready to receive something!" — this is called programming mode.
Here's how to do it:
1. Press & hold"PROG" button.2. While holding PROG button click on RESET button.3. White LED (S0) should glow.4. Release the PROG button after the white LED is turned off.
NOTE:This step is super important! Skipping it is the most common beginner mistake — if your upload fails, this is the first thing to check.
That's it, our board is in programming mode and ready to access the bitstream.
Upload the BitstreamNow click the Upload icon in the bottom right corner of iCE Studio.
Wait for the upload to complete...
Once the upload is done, press RESET button to activate the bitstream.
And that's it — your LED should now be blinking!
🎊 Congratulations! You just programmed your first FPGA circuit — without writing a single line of HDL code!
You've only scratched the surface! iCE Studio comes packed with more built-in examples to play with.
Don't just take our word for it — here's what the community thinks about Soan Papdi! 😊
Ready to start your FPGA journey the simple way? Order your Soan Papdi board now and start building! 👉🏼 OrderNow
Have questions or stuck somewhere? Feel free to reach out, happy to help. 🙂
Email:hardikseth1975@gmail.com
X: https://x.com/DIY_With_Hardik
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/hardik-seth-8687b7201/
WhatsApp/Contact: +91 9026278822
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