SoC: Example C-code for accessing Avalon Slave peripherals?

You don't have to make use of SoC just to test the hardware you're designing. You should be able to use the same flow that you're used to using System Console TCL scripts.

Essentially, what you're suggesting is how the flow works, but...there's more to it than that. What's your end goal and why? If you just want to use the ARM cores to test your hardware, I'm not sure I would recommend that. Adding Linux to the mix usually means device drivers for your custom hardware.

I'd recommend continuing your typical HW test flow, for now. At some point in the future, after you've learned a bit more about the SoC architecture (especially the various bridges and how they're mapped into memory), you can look to start integrating your hardware further.

Regards,

slacker