COE/EE 243 Lecture #1

Digital Design (Digital logic)

Course is foundation for understanding how computers and many other
devices work. These are devices that use logic circuits,
programmable logic devices or microcessors to control equipment --
computer, CD player, power system substation, air handling system,
dishwasher, coffee maker, digital cameras, digital video....
COE/EE 244 will not meet this week or next week.
Analog Systems

Reproduce scaled version (analog) of the signal of interest (sound
voltage, current, fluid flow etc.) Continuous signal
Voltage between +/- 20 V (more on older equipment, less on newer)
Need to run through amplifiers to get from source to end user
each introduces error--physical Capacitors, Resistors, etc.
with tolerances. Amplifiers not perfect, can introduce phase delay
error
Still widely used. Can be very fast -- good for controlling devices
Tend to be more costly, and it can be difficult to consistently
reproduce results. Also less efficient in most cases
Digital Systems

Basic concepts used in digital computers for about 60 years.
Translate signal into simple code, 0 or 1 (0 or 5V (or 3.3V))
and translate back for end user. Digitize the analog signal and represent
amplitude at sampled points with numeric code.
signal --- A/D --> transmission --> D/A output signal
Requires processing power to do conversion (and some finite time)

Can do error correction, can be more accurate than analog in reproducing
signal. Can improve original signal
Still using continuous signal, but as long as the distinction between
two distinct levels is maintained, for digital is more accurate.
As processor and bus frequencies go up, analog effects more important
in digital design
In some cases start from a digital signal initially. Binary codes
to represent letters and numbers or commands
This course gives first look at digital systems

** Digital Systems
Design of digital systems may be roughly divided into 3 parts:
1. System Design - Break overall system into subsystems and
specify characteristics of each subsystem

2. Logic Design - Determine how to interconnect basic building
blocks to perform a specific function

3. Circuit Design - Specify interconnection of specific components,
such as resistors and transistors, to form
a gate, flip-flop, or other logic block
This course is devoted to the study of logic design with a little
system design. Will also explore circuit design in the lab course.

We will look at the basic concepts, and make use of software tools
for logic design.
* Classification of Digital Networks
Combinational Network: Outputs depend only on present value
of inputs (no dependence on past inputs).
Sequential Network: Outputs depend on present AND past
values of inputs.
Thus, sequential networks are said to have memory.
Combinational networks are generally easier to design and test.
but less powerful. We will use both classes of digital networks
(and combine them).

** Number Systems
Decimal numbers written using positional notation.
2 1 0 -1 -2
123.45 = 1 x 10 + 2 x 10 + 3 x 10 + 4 x 10 + 5 x 10
Leftmost digit is most significant bit, and rightmost is
the least significant bit. If the "point" is missing, it
is assumed to be to the right of the rightmost bit.
Any positive integer R (R > 1) can be used as a radix or base
of a number system.
If the base is R, then R (0, 1, 2, ... R-1) digits are needed
to represent any number in that base.
Digits for commonly used bases:
Base 2 (binary): 0, 1
Base 8 (octal): 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Base 16 (hexadecimal): 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F

Note that base 16 ran out of digits and uses letters.