Counter Circuit Design and Implementation using D

Flip-flops

Dawit Fekadu Hundie

Department of Electrical Engineering Mintesinot Mengesha Tuke Salem Jamal Alfalasi
University of Dubai Department of Computer Engineering Department of Electrical Engineering
Dubai, United Arab Emirates University of Dubai University of Dubai
[email protected] Dubai, United Arab Emirates Dubai, United Arab Emirates
[email protected] [email protected]

Abstract—The design, simulation and physical 3. APPLICATIONS

implementation of a 4 bit counter circuit is presented in this
 Event counting in industrial systems
report. However, due to unavailability of a binary to decimal
decoder we are forced to use LEDs instead of a seven segment  Digital clocks and timekeeping
di display, the counter generates sequential binary counting
and its output is displayed by LEDs which signify binary states.  Data transfer in communication systems
First, the circuit was designed and simulated using circuit  Stepper motor control in robotics.
design software, and later implemented on a breadboard for
practical verification. 4. Equipments/Components:

Keywords—component, formatting, style, styling, insert (key  NI Bread board

words)  Set of wires
1. Introduction (Heading 1)  Digital Multimeter
Counters are such an important part of digital electronics, use  Resistors
d for tasks like counting, sequencing and time keeping. The p
urpose of this work is to design and implement a 2bit synchro  Operational Amplifier
nous binary counter using D flip flopes. On the other hand, th  LEDs
e circuit moves through binary states (Orally from 00 to 11) a
 DC Power Supply
nd shows the output using LEDs. An implementation combin
ing simulation and hardware, the project is designed to reinfo  Power Source for input signal
rce understanding of sequential circuits and their application t
Experiment Procedure:
o the real world.
A. Software Design:
2. BACKGROUND
The circuit is initially designed and tested on Multisim.
a. Chosen Topic
B. Circuit Assembly:
The project focuses on the designing and implementing of a s
imple 2 bit synchronous binary counter that is an important b  We placed the operational amplifier(Op-Amp) on the
breadboard and ensured it is connected correctly
uilding block of the digital circuitry. Digital circuits make us
e of counters to count events, to manage time sequences, or t  We connected the positive and negative power supply
o produce some specific wave forms. pins of the Op-Amp to the DC power supply.
b. How it Works  We connected the non-inverting input of the Op-Amp to
Two D type flip flops are used in synchronous fashion wh the input signal source
ich form the basis of the 2 bit counter circuit. The binary cou  We designed the network of two resistors, R i and Rf, and
nt is outputted by each flip flop one bit. The clock pulse drive wires for the feedback circuit where Ri is the input
s a counter through binary states (00 to 11). LEDs were conn resistor connected the inverting input and the ground
ected to the outputs of the flip flops to represent the count, ea whole Rf is the feedback resistor connected between the
ch LED signifying on bit. output and the inverting input.
 We ensured the output is connected to a multimeter for
c. Typical Circuit Variations measurement
C. Measurement
Asynchronous counters (ripple counters), and synchronous c
ounters are variations of counters. Although asynchronous co  We adjusted the resistors to get our desired voltage gain
unters are simpler, synchronous counters are more reliable, fa according to the formula
ster and have better speed because they are clocked simultane
ously. There are other types, such as ring counters and up/do Av=1+Rf/Ri.
wn counters.  We adjusted the resistors to Ri= = 0.9833kΩ and Rf =
8.0867kΩ

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 We set the input voltage to Vin = 0.33V
D. Obsreved Results

 Using the Digital Multimeter, the output voltage is

measured to be Vout = 3.1157V b. Implementation
 We calculated the voltage gain using the formula
It was implemented on a breadboard circuit. The two D flip-f
Av=1+Rf/Ri lops were connected to two LEDs, which are an output of tw
o binary counter bits. The LEDs displayed the binary states a
Av = 1+(8.0867kΩ/0.9833kΩ)
s follows:
Av = 9.224
 Least Significant Bit, LSB, the LED2 was used.
 This was proven by calculating the voltage gain
using the formula  MSB (Most Significant Bit), LED1

Vo
Av = Vi
3.1157 V
Av = 0.33 V = 9.44
The values are almost similar and the difference
mainly comes from the error of the multimeter on
the reading of the resistors and the output volyage

.
The operational amplifier we used has a 8-pin dual inline 5. MEASUREMENT
package To confirm counting accuracy and LED display of binary stat
es, the circuit was tested. The following steps outline the mea
The 2-bit counter circuit was designed to count surement and verification process:
binary states and display them using LEDs. The a. Clock Signal Verification:
key components included:  We also verified the frequency and waveform of the 1
00 Hz clock signal generated by the clock source usin
 D Flip-Flop: Four flip-flops used to store and g an oscilloscope.
progress through binary states.  The stable square wave signal with a known period w
 Clock Generator: A 10 Hz square wave generator as confirmed by observations, which assured the coun
to provide the clock signal. ter received a uniform clock pulses.
 LEDs: Two LEDs were used to represent the
counter's output b. Power Supply Check:
 Resistors: Connected to LEDs to limit current and  The voltage of the circuit that is supplied to the circuit
prevent damage. is measured by a multimeter. A consistent 5 VDC fro
 Power Supply: 5 V DC to power the circuit. m the power supply was delivered to all components,
 ICs: 74LS74 dual D flip-flop and we verified all components were operating uprigh
t.
a. Tools and Software c. Flip-Flop Outputs:
 Simulation Software: Initial design verification –  We measured each D flip flop output (Q and Q') usin
Multisim g logic probe or multimeter in DC voltage mode.
 Hardware Tools: LEDs, resistors, breadboard,  The clock ticks of the Q outputs increased in pace, pa
jumper wires, flip-flops ICs. ssing between logic 1 and logic 0, confirming that th
 Measuring Instruments: Verifying connections and e flip flops were operating as expected.
voltage levels using a multimeter.
d. LED Binary Representation:
 We checked the binary counting sequence by observi
ng the LEDs connected to the flip flop outputs.
 The LEDs would blink in response to the clock pulse
s in the same way as the binary values from 00 to 11
(0 to 3 in decimal). For example:
Binary 00: both LEDs off.
 Binary 01: LSB LED on, others off.
Binary 11: both LEDs on.  Hardware Availability:
Adaptation of output visualization to LEDs was made
e. Sequence Validation:
because we did not have a binary to seven segment decoder
The binary sequence generated by the flip-flops was in order to use the seven segment display/.
compared to the expected sequence for a 2-bit counter (0 To get the binary states, we looked at the on/off patterns of
to 3). The LEDs accurately displayed the binary states the LEDs since this was less intuitive than a 7-segment
without skipping or duplicating states. display.
Solution: Additionally, led were connected to the flip flop
f. Timing Consistency: output directly, but with proper resistors to represent the
binary states visually.
The clock frequency was then verified to verify the time
interval between transitions. Each state was held for 10
 Breadboard Complexity:
milliseconds with a 10 Hz clock. This resulted in
expected change of states from the LEDs. Connections on a breadboard were loose, short circuits were
possible, and troubleshooting might have been difficult.
g. Error Checking
Solution: A multimeter and visual inspection was performed
The breadboard connections were checked to be sure that in system testing to confirm that all connections were
loose or incorrect wiring wasn't skewing the secure.
measurements.
Discrepancies were checked (LED not lit, etc.) and  Clock Signal Stability:
verified: resistor and LED connections.
For the circuit to be accurate we had to make sure we had a
consistent clock signal. The counter sequence can be
disrupted by variations of the clock frequency.
Solution: A pre built clock source generated a stable 10 Hz
clock signal, which was verified with an oscilloscope.
c. Observations and Insights

 Power Supply Dependence:

The circuit’s operation was 100% reliant on a constant 5 V

power supply. LED brightness was affected by any given
fluctuation in the voltage, which could result in irregularities
6. DISCUSSION in LED brightness and thus alter visual interpretation of the
a. Singnificant Findings binary states.
 Visual Interpretation of Binary States:
 The design and implementation of a 2 bit synchronous co
unter was successfully demonstrated through the project. However, LEDs worked, whereas in the case of 7 segment
The significant outcomes are as follows: display the binary states had to be interpreted. In case of '10'
it means that we need to look at the on/off status of
individual LEDs which is more complex.
 Accurate Counting: The counter only went through binar
y states (00…11) skipping and duplicating states, thus co 7. RECOMMENDATINS
nfirming the correct configuration for the D flip flops.
 Clock Signal Reliability: A 10 Hz clock generator was us a. Enhanced Visualization:
ed to guarantee uniform clock pulses, and all flip-flops t
oggled synchronously. It showed how important a stable Switching LEDs to a 7 segment display would also be better
clock source is for synchronous circuits. for the output, as the value is shown numerically rather than
the binary pattern of the LEDs.
 Visualization via LEDs: Although an LEDs display was u
navailable, they were used effectively to show binary out
put. The flexibility of the circuit design and its ability to
accommodate resource constraints was illustrated by this
substitution.
b. Reset Functionality:

An additional manual reset switch could be added to the

counter to initiate a test from an initial known state (00).

c. Up/Down Counting:
b. Challenges Faced
Adding this capability of up and down counting could improved visualization with a 7 segment display, and with
extend the design of this circuit to support more learning advanced features like up/down counting.
opportunities.
d. Expanding the Counter:
REFERENCES
The counting range can be increased to more than 2 bits by
increasing the number of flip flops if larger counting range [1] W. Stallings, Digital Design and Computer Architecture. Pearson,
is needed in applications. 2017.J. Clerk Maxwell, A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, 3rd
ed., vol. 2. Oxford: Clarendon, 1892, pp.68–73.
[2] K. Elissa, “Title of paper if known,” unpublished.
8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
[3] National Instruments, "Multisim Circuit Simulation Software,"
[Online]. Available: https://www.ni.com/multisim. [Accessed: Nov.
We sincerely thank Dr. Eman for providing an engaging 2024].
project opportunity and for her invaluable guidance during [4] R. L. Boylestad and L. Nashelsky, Electronic Devices and Circuit
its development. Our gratitude also goes to Dr.Yasmin for Theory, 11th ed. Pearson, 2012.M. Young, The Technical Writer’s
laying a solid foundation on how flip-flops and other digital Handbook. Mill Valley, CA: University Science, 1989.
circuit components work theoretically, which played a [5] J. F. Wakerly, Digital Design Principles and Practices, 4th ed.
Pearson, 2006.
crucial role in the project's success.
[6] M. M. Mano and C. R. Kime, Logic and Computer Design
Fundamentals, 3rd ed. Prentice Hall, 2004.
9. CONCLUSION [7] C. H. Roth Jr. and L. L. Kinney, Fundamentals of Logic Design, 7th
ed. Cengage Learning, 2014.
The design, simulation and hardware implementation of a [8] C. H. Roth Jr. and L. L. Kinney, Fundamentals of Logic Design, 7th
2bit synchronous counter was demonstrated in this project. ed. Cengage Learning, 2014.
Binary counting is shown using LEDs as the states of the
counter. It also allowed for very quick characteristics of the
basic circuit responses. Future work can be towards