Digital circuitry in FPGAs exhibits analog behaviors when pushed to extremes, offering unique opportunities beyond standard operation. Overclocking can boost performance, but requires caution due to potential chip damage. Process, voltage, and temperature variations affect chip behavior, influencing power consumption and temperature. Propagation delay limits clock speed, while glitches and metastability can be exploited for specific applications, like random number generation. Techniques like ring oscillators and tapped delay lines showcase innovative ways to achieve high precision time measurements. Strategies for digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion on FPGAs enable complex functionalities, like FM signal transmission and high-speed ADCs. Additional possibilities include using FPGAs as antennas and creating physical unclonable functions for unique cryptographic keys. This exploration of unconventional FPGA applications challenges traditional advice and highlights the versatility and potential of FPGA technology.
https://voltagedivide.com/2024/03/18/unconventional-uses-of-fpgas/