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Types of Flip-Flops: Electronics Computing Digital Circuit Bit Memory Input Clock Output Complement

The document discusses different types of flip-flops, which are digital circuits that can serve as one-bit memory. The four main types are T, S-R, J-K, and D flip-flops. Each type has a characteristic equation that describes its behavior and how the next output depends on the current output and input signals. The first electronic flip-flop was invented in 1919 by Eccles and Jordan.

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51 views4 pages

Types of Flip-Flops: Electronics Computing Digital Circuit Bit Memory Input Clock Output Complement

The document discusses different types of flip-flops, which are digital circuits that can serve as one-bit memory. The four main types are T, S-R, J-K, and D flip-flops. Each type has a characteristic equation that describes its behavior and how the next output depends on the current output and input signals. The first electronic flip-flop was invented in 1919 by Eccles and Jordan.

Uploaded by

Vikas Kumar
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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n 

electronics and computing, the flip-flop or bistable multivibrator is a pulsed digital circuit capable of


serving as a one-bit memory. A flip-flop typically includes zero, one, or two input signals; a clock signal;
and an output signal, though many commercial flip-flops additionally provide the complement of the output
signal. Some flip-flops also include a clear input signal, which resets the current output. (In actuality, flip-
flops are implemented as integrated circuit chips that also require power and ground connections.)
Pulsing, or strobing, the clock causes the flip-flop to either change or retain its output signal, based upon
the values of the input signals and the characteristic equation of the flip-flop. (Strobing the clock is a
simplified view: any change of output state actually coincides with either the leading edge or the trailing
edge of the clock pulse. The manufacturer's specification, or data sheet, annotates the precise
semantics.)

Four types of flip-flops find common applicability in clocked sequential systems: these are called the T
("toggle") flip-flop, the S-R ("set-reset") flip-flop, the J-K flip-flop, and the D ("delay") flip-flop. The behavior
of the flip-flop is described by what is termed the characteristic equation, which derives the "next" (i.e.,
after the next clock pulse) output, <math>Q_{next}<math>, in terms of the input signal(s) and/or the
current output, <math>Q<math>.

The first electronic flip-flop was invented in 1919 by W. H. Eccles and F. W. Jordan. It was initially called
the Eccles-Jordan trigger circuit.

See also: monostable multivibrator, astable multivibrator.

Types of flip-flops
T flip-flop
If the T input is high (onion head), the T flip-flop changes state ("toggles") whenever the clock input is
strobed. If the T input is low, the flip-flop holds the previous value. This behavior is described by the
characteristic equation:

<math>Q_{next} = T \oplus Q<math>

and the truth table:

T Q Qnext

0 0 0

0 1 1

1 0 1

1 1 0
Left: A circuit symbol for a T-type flip-flop, where > is the clock input, T is the toggle input and Q is the
stored data output.
S-R flip-flop
The "set/reset" flip-flop sets (i.e., changes its output to logic 1, or retains it if it's already 1) if both the S
("set") input is 1 and the R ("reset") input is 0 when the clock is strobed. The flip-flop resets (i.e., changes
its output to logic 0, or retains it if it's already 0) if both the R ("reset") input is 1 and the S ("set") input is 0
when the clock is strobed. If both S and R are 0 when the clock is strobed, the output does not change. If,
however, both S and R are 1 when the clock is stobed, no particular behavior is guaranteed. This is often
written in the form of a "truth table":

S R Qnext

0 0 Hold

0 1 0

1 0 1

1 1 unstable

or more explicitly, showing the pre-clock value of Q as if it were another input:

S R Q Qnext

0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1

0 1 X 0

1 0 X 1

1 1 X unstable

X means "don't care", or the output will be the same regardless of which state the X is in.
Left: A circuit symbol for a SR-type flip-flop, where > is the clock input, S is the set input, R is the reset
input, Q is the stored data output, and Q' is the inverse of Q.

It is the responsibility of the circuit designer to ensure that the S = R = 1 condition does not arise. Given
this externally imposed condition, one typically avoids writing a characteristic equation for the S-R flip-
flop. Various "master-slave" interconnections of S-R flip-flops are possible to achieve particular behaviors.

J-K flip-flop
The J-K flip-flop augments the behavior of the S-R flip-flop by interpreting the S = R = 1 condition as a
"flip" command. Specifically, the combination J = 1, K = 0 is a command to set the flip-flop; the
combination J = 0, K = 1 is a command to reset the flip-flop; and the combination J = K = 1 is a command
to toggle the flip-flop, i.e., change its output to the logical complement of its current value.

Left: A circuit symbol for a JK-type flip-flop, where > is the clock input, J and K are data inputs, Q is the
stored data output, and Q' is the inverse of Q.

The characteristic equation of the J-K flip-flop is:

<math>Q_{next} = J\overline Q + \overline KQ<math>

and the truth table is:

J K Q Qnext

0 0 0 0

0 0 1 1

0 1 X 0

1 0 X 1

1 1 0 1

1 1 1 0

The J-K flip-flop was named after Jack Kilby, the man who invented integrated circuits in 1958.

D flip-flop
The D ("delay") flip-flop takes one input, which it conveys to the output when the clock is strobed.
Regardless of the current value of the output, it will assume a value 1 if D = 1 when the flip-flop is strobed
or a value 0 if D = 0 when the flip-flop is strobed. This flip-flop can be interpreted as a primitive delay
line or zero-order hold, since the data is posted at the output one clock cycle after it arrives at the input.

Left: A circuit symbol for a D-type flip-flop, where > is the clock input, D is the data input and Q is the
stored data output.

The characteristic equation of the D flip-flop is:

<math>Q_{next} = D \,<math>

The truth table is:

D Q Qnext

0 X 0

1 X 1

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