Microprocessor Architecture -General Purpose Registers, GPRs, are generally

used as data storage and directly connected to

the data bus. The more GPRs you have the more
1. Bus unit – Interconnects external component powerful MPU
from external bus to internal parts of -Program Counter/address pointer contains the
microprocessor. It establishes communication address of the next instruction to be executed.
with external unit Keeps track of we are already in the commands.
-Address bus control logic this generates address Automatically increments after the execution of
from the data that enters it for the external the instruction
component -POST – “Power On Self-Test”
-Data bus control logic controls data that comes -Instruction Register, IR, Holds the instruction
from the microprocessor to be sent out passes code or operation code while it is being executed
through this.
-Status Register, SR, also known as flag register
-Buss buffer interconnects devices to avoid bus or condition code register or indicator register. It
contention is used to holds and tells us the status of MPU
2. Control unit – generates the set of timing and Commonly used flags/status:
control information
Carry Flag, C – end carry of the parallel adder
-Instruction decoder control unit is used for Zero Flag, Z – If the result of ALU operation is
synthesizing and decoding instruction. After it zero
decoded the instruction it will be sent to the Sign Flag, S – Tells us that the operation resulted
control unit to generate signal and make with the negative number. The most significant
everything work bit represents the sign of the number we are
-Timing circuits used for synchronization of the operating. If it is 1, then it is negative.
operations. All instructions and operation must Overflow, O – Results of ALU operation
happen at the same time whenever the operation is out of range
Parity, P – used for error checking
-Control logic is responsible for the operation of
the different parts 5. Address unit – generates the address to
access different part
-Compiler converts human language into a
language that a computer will understand. It 6. Instruction unit – fetches and decodes the
generates control signal subsequent instruction

3. ALU – computes and execute logic operation.

Contains data processing major logics. It also
works when you want to compute for the next
available address if you want to move several
address.
4. Register unit – temporary memory and
composed of bunch of register. If it becomes
bigger, it becomes a cache.
-Accumulator, A is a general purpose register. It
can store and read data. Most often used
 Memory of MPU We combine this register to make a register
Array

-Memory is generally external to the

microprocessor
-Looking for the needed information is called
addressing
-Data in and out is controlled via controlled lines

Basic memory modules

-Take a D Flip flop and add tri-state buffers to
control data at the input (Write) and output And if you want only one register to be
(Read). If the control is 0, it will read, otherwise activated, you will set high logic the input to the
it will write. But, usually it is in 0 because it is EN. You can use decoder for it
more often for the MPU to read than to write.
-Tri-state buffer isolates either the input or
output at any given time

The simplified is D-Flip Flop is this

If A1 and A2 is both zero, then REG0 will be
enable and the rest will not because the enable
of others will be zero. The use of the DECODER
is to enable register. Basically, it is the ADRESS!
For simplicity, this is the circuit for a 4 bit
We combine this simplified D flip-flop to be a memory with 4 storage location whose can be
register accessed by A0 and A1

We can add more register, but we also need to

add more bits for addressing.
For example, the 64 bit. It means the 2^64 =
1.8x10^19 address bits! The number of bits -The instruction design will define how MPU will
define how many memory location you can operation
address -OPCODE means operation code
-It is in hexadecimal
-Instructions format
Factors affecting the microprocessor
performance
1. Microprocessor word length
-MPU is often described in term of the length of
their data words
-If you need a larger number, you need more bits
-the larger number it can work with the more
powerful it is.
2. Addressable memory -SRC (Where the data will come from)
-DST (Where the data will go)
-Each word in the memory is assigned to a -The more complex instructions, the more bit
location number or address and longer instructions is required
3. Execution speed
-If you are running at faster clock, you can 6. Addressing mode
perform faster. (Clock speed) -Refers to the location of source and destination
-If you have instructions that is optimized, you of data in instruction
can perform more. -Direct mode will give you the direct address
-Fetch cycle means it will fetch the instruction it -Indirect will give you the indirect address
wants to do (Usually with @)
-Decode means it will look at what the -Register direct will give you the direct register
instructions supposed to do and break it down in -Register indirect will just point out the register
to a microinstructions containing the data
-Execute the instructions fetched and decoded -Immediate mode
will be executed -Implicit mode/Inherent
-Each steps takes several clock cycles to -Relative
complete -Index mode and base index
-The way your MPU how to look for data is
4. Number of available register
important. The faster it finds the data the faster
-Having register inside you MPU makes it faster. it will execute
It is called CACHE
7. Storage scheme
5. Instructions set
-Refers to how address information is stored in
-Refers how the instructions are designed the memory
-Data transfer instructions: Move, store, load, -Low-Endian (low byte to low memory; high byte
input, output to high memory)
-Data operation: Arithmetic, logic, shift -High-Endian (High byte to Low memory; Low
-Program control: Jumping, Branching, byte to High memory)
Interrupts, halt -Trivia: Intel uses Low-endian scheme
8. Data type
-Refers to the type of data that MPU operates
-Most case this is a flat binary number
-Binary Coded Decimal (BCD)
-Signed integers
-Floating-point binary numbers