[CSCI150] Lecture 5: Sequential Circuits Design

In Lecture 4, we will start with sequential circuit designs which includes storage units.

LS26 Part 1 (Lecture + Tutorial): von Neumann Review, What is a Register, Register Design, Register with EN

Highlight:

  • von Neumann CPU
    • Control Unit: Interprets instructions, coordinate between Datapath, Memory, and IO
    • Datapath: contains registers, the storage component within a CPU for temporary info storage. Usually less than 30 registers, each a binary number (say for 64bit CPUs, each a 64bit number).
    • Calculation require operands to be loaded into then register from memory before taking place in the datapath using arithmetic functional blocks.
  • Simple Registers
    • Designed using Flip Flops. A 4bit Register will require 4 D Flip Flops.
    • Loading: register function that loads the register with a new value from D ports
    • Clearing: register function used to reset a register’s value to all zeroes
    • EN: multiple registers often share a single input channel, the additional EN port on register allow one to specify which register should take in new values and which ones should retain their current values.
      • Require D Flip-Flop with EN and Reset. You can use the one provided in the system library or implement your own.

LS26 Part 2 (Lecture): X86 CPU Example, Datapath Architecture overview

Highlights

  • x86 CPU Example
    • Datapath receives commanding signals from Control Unit, stores data inside the register array, and perform calculation, and store the results back into the register array
  • Simple Datapath Architecture
    • A register array with multiple registers, sharing CLK and sometimes Reset (for simplicity let’s say it is shared)
    • A functional block array
    • Multiplexers to select input to the functional blocks
    • A feedback bus leading back to the register array, so that new values can be stored within

LS26 Part 3 (Lecture): Register Microoperations

Highlights:

  • Microoperations
    • Single Register Microoperations: Single (or No) Register as Input, Single Register as Output
      • Assignment, Reg. Transfer, Shifting, Bitwise NOT, Vector, etc.
    • Multiple Register Microoperations: Multiple Registers provide input
      • Addition, Subtraction. Bitwise AND/OR/XOR, Concatenate, etc.
    • VHDL syntax for microoperations

LS27 (Lecture + Tutorial): Datapath Implementation

Highlights:

  • Datapath Implementation Tutorial
    • Selecting register to provide input to all functional blocks: using multiplexer
    • Selecting functional block to perform calculation: using multiplexer
    • Selecting register to receive calculation results: using Decoder and enabling ports on Registers

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