Tickers in Verilog

module Tickers;
  reg clk;
  reg reset;
  reg [31:0] counter;
  reg [31:0] tick_count;
  reg done;

  // Clock generation
  always #5 clk = ~clk;

  initial begin
    clk = 0;
    reset = 1;
    counter = 0;
    tick_count = 0;
    done = 0;
    
    #10 reset = 0;
    
    // Simulate for 1600 time units
    #1600;
    
    done = 1;
    $display("Ticker stopped");
    $finish;
  end

  always @(posedge clk or posedge reset) begin
    if (reset) begin
      counter <= 0;
      tick_count <= 0;
    end else begin
      if (counter == 49) begin  // 50 clock cycles = 500 time units
        counter <= 0;
        tick_count <= tick_count + 1;
        $display("Tick at %0t", $time);
      end else begin
        counter <= counter + 1;
      end
    end
  end

endmodule

This Verilog code simulates a ticker that “ticks” every 500 time units, similar to the Go example. Here’s an explanation of the code:

1. We define a module called Tickers with registers for clock, reset, counters, and a done flag.

2. The clock is generated with a period of 10 time units (5 units high, 5 units low).

3. In the initial block, we set up initial values and run the simulation for 1600 time units before setting the done flag and finishing.

4. The main logic is in the always block triggered by the positive edge of the clock or reset:

   • If reset is high, we reset the counters.
   • Otherwise, we increment a counter. When it reaches 49 (50 clock cycles, equivalent to 500 time units), we reset it, increment the tick count, and display a message.

This Verilog implementation doesn’t have a direct equivalent to Go’s channels or goroutines. Instead, it uses a synchronous design with a clock and counters to simulate periodic ticking behavior.

To run this simulation, you would typically use a Verilog simulator like Icarus Verilog or ModelSim. The output would look something like this:

Tick at 500
Tick at 1000
Tick at 1500
Ticker stopped

Note that Verilog, being a hardware description language, has a different paradigm compared to software languages like Go. Concepts like tickers are implemented using clock cycles and counters rather than software constructs.