Session 2532

An Introductory Digital-Logic Design Laboratory

Daniel J. Tylavsky ([email protected])
Department of Electrical Engineering
Arizona State University

Abstract

A series of digital-logic design laboratory experiments have been created for a first course in
digital logic design. These laboratory experiments are aimed primarily at first and second year
electrical engineering and computer science/engineering students. The laboratory exercises
include a set of six hardware laboratory experiments, and eight digital-logic simulation
experiments. To receive a copy of the digital-design experiments discussed in this paper, send a
request to [email protected]

I. Hardware Laboratory Experiments

The objective of the hardware laboratory design is to start students with basic experiments that
emphasize common laboratory measuring and debugging techniques. Later more sophisticated
experiments emphasize the design skills students have acquired in the lecture portion of the class
as shown in Table 1.

All of the hardware labs emphasize hardware realizations. Later labs include some use of
digital-logic simulations to simulate circuits students build using TTL hardware. The objective
of this mix is to allow students to discover, on their own, the role that simulation plays in the
prototyping of complex engineering systems. There are more tasks included in the experiments
than students can complete in the laboratory time allotted for most college courses. Selecting a
subset of cohesive tasks that vary from semester to semester allows students to rely on their own
understanding of the material rather than that of students from previous semesters. The order of
the experiments is chosen to be in synchronism with the order of topics covered by most
textbooks on introductory digital-logic design.

In the capstone design project, students are assigned to produce two designs that meet a given
functional specification and pick the better of the two designs using their own metric. It is part
of their task to define what "better" means and to describe in their report how one of their
designs is better than the other. They then develop a LogicWorks simulation to “proof” their
concept and demonstrate this simulation to a teaching assistant. The “proofed” concept is then
built in the hardware lab and again demonstrated to a teaching assistant. A final report on their
capstone design project is a requirement. This project and report allows students to demonstrate
three things. They demonstrate their knowledge of synchronous machine construction by
designing (typically) a Mealy and Moore machine that meets the problem statement. They
demonstrate their knowledge of building and debugging circuitry, using both hardware and a
hardware simulator. They demonstrate in their final report the communication skills they have
developed during the semester.
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Digital-Logic Simulation Experiments

To complement the hardware experiments, we created a set of digital-logic simulation

experiments. We felt that students would feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction if they
could build a simulation of a microprocessor, program it’s instruction set, and execute a program
on it. This microprocessor uses 4-bit words, instructions, and a 4-bit address bus. This
microprocessor is built using LogicWorks software through five successive laboratory
exercises during the semester. Each simulation assignment uses only elementary logic gates
(AND, OR, NOT, NAND, etc.) to build adders, decoders, multiplexers etc., which are then
modularized. (Emphasis is place on building all devices using primitive gates so that students
cannot help but understand that computers are built primarily using logic gates.) The
microprocessor is then constructed by connecting each module appropriately. The titles, desired
outcomes, and pedagogical emphasis of each lab experiment are listed in Table 2. One of three
versions of the experiments is assigned each semester. This allows students to rely on their own
understanding of the material rather than that of students from previous semesters

The digital-logic-simulation and hardware-lab exercises are conducted in alternating weeks.

This schedule allows students to build a half adder using TTL hardware one week, then to build
its simulation the next week (or vice versa.) By alternately using TTL hardware and then
circuit-simulation software to build devices, students learn the role of circuit simulation in the
design of complex engineering systems. The digital-logic-simulation labs are designed to be in
synchronism with the sequence and pace of lectures supported by most introductory digital-
design textbooks.

Report Writing Guidelines

It is our experience that first and second year engineering students have difficulty writing
effective laboratory reports. The lab manual has a section on report writing guidelines that help
the student understand the context of report writing, the major sections needed for a complete
report, how to handle references and direct quotations, and how to handle section numbering.

Assessment Guidelines and EC 2000

Each laboratory assignment has a list of objectives and concomitant learning outcomes. These
outcomes are assessed using two tables contained in the last pages of the laboratory assignment.
The first table lists each task and each facet of report writing. The maximum possible points
awarded for each line item are filled in by the instructor and made available to the students a
priori so that they know how their report will be graded. The second table is a self-assessment
worksheet for students to fill in. Both sheets are assessment vehicles that may be used as
supporting evidence of having met learning objectives for EC 2000 accreditation visits.

Conclusion

We have found from using and refining this laboratory experience over the last 8 years, that
students do indeed get a sense of accomplishment from completing the laboratory experiments
and that industry is impressed with what students learn from their experience.
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Table 1. Hardware Experiments: Main Performance Outcomes and Pedagogical Emphases
Outcome: At the completion of the
Lab Title exercise the student will be able to: Emphases
Lab 0: Using a Prototype Board, Logic Use a breadboard, logic probe and Electrical Measurement
Probe & Voltmeter voltmeter.
Lab 1: Debugging a Half And Full Build a half and full adder and debug Electrical Measurement,
Adder combinational logic. Debugging
Lab 2: TTL Characteristics, Three- Use three-state and open-collector Electrical Characteristics,
State Buffers, Open-Collector Buffers buffers. Debugging
Lab 3: Latches, Flip-Flops, Registers Build and debug latches, counters, and Sequential Circuit Performance,
and Counters registers. Debugging
Lab 4: Vending Machine Design Build a Vending Machine Controller Use of MSI circuits,
using MSI circuits. Use cut-and-try Principals of Design,
design principals. Role of Circuit Simulation in
Design
Lab 5: Capstone Design Project Design, simulate and build an arbitrarily Principals of Design,
complex synchronous sequential Classical Design Procedures,
machine. Circuit Simulation

Table 2. Digital-Logic Simulation Experiments: Main Outcomes and Pedagogical Emphases

Outcome: At the completion of the
Lab Title exercise the student will be able to: Emphases
Lab 0: Hardware Simulator Operation Use LogicWorks to create and debug a Tutorial approach to the use of
(supports LogicWorks4 hardware circuit module, a communication bus, LogicWorks
simulator) and use the hex keypad and hex display.
Lab 1: Adder, Incrementer and Two’s Build and debug a multi-bit full adder, Building and Debugging
Complementer incrementer, and 2’s complement circuit. Combinational Logic Circuits
Lab 2: 4-Bit Adder, Multiplexer and Build and debug a circuit simulation of Building and Debugging
Demultiplexer multi-bit full adder, mux, and demux. Combinational Logic Circuits
Lab 3: The ALU and Decoder Build, and control 4-bit ALU & decoder Design and operation of an
ALU
Lab 4: The Brainless Microprocessor, Act as a controller for a microprocessor Controlling the interaction of
ROM and RAM comprised of ROM, RAM, ALU, program the major components of a
counter, memory address register, and microprocessor.
accumulator.
Lab 5: The Complete Microprocessor Build, and debug a controller for a Design of a ROM based
with ROM Controller microprocessor. Develop an instruction synchronous machine as a
set. Program the microprocessor and microprocessor controller.
execute the program. Construction of an instruction
set.
Lab 6: Adding Jump-Instruction Describe the architectural elements and Microprocessor addressing
Capability to Your Microprocessor functional blocks needed to implement a architecture.
(Advanced Lab) jump procedure.
Lab 7: Adding Status Logic and Branch Describe the architectural elements and Microprocessor addressing
Instructions to Your Microprocessor functional blocks needed to implement a architecture. Role of a status
(Advanced Lab) conditional jump procedure. register and status logic.
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