A New Gamified Method for Discovering and Understanding the Conversion From Binary to Decimal Numbers and Their Representation on Seven-Segment Displays, Using FPGAs and VHDL, for Student Application

Abstract: A new method which uses a gamified and also experimental procedure for investigation, discovering and understanding the conversion from binary to decimal numbers, and the way of representing them in seven-segment displays, is presented here for the first time. In order to achieve the goal, FPGAs and the hardware programing language VHDL are used. Students also gain experience on a modern hardware programing language and they obtain applicable results from their program, thus enhancing their algorithmic thinking. In practice, two quads of FPGA’s input switches are used, one for each student, and depending on which switches they set to ON or OFF, they try to display the requested decimal number on the seven-segment display. If both answers are correct, all the LEDs light up. Otherwise, the LEDs are off and the characters FA (FALSE) are displayed so they must try to form the correct number again. In all cases, the two numbers formed from both students appear in the displays.

Key words: gamified learning method, binary to decimal, FPGAs, VHDL, seven-segment display representation