Course Description:
Basic building blocks and design methods to construct synchronous digital systems. Alternative representations for digital systems. Standard logic (SSI, MSI) vs. programmable logic (PLD, FPGA). Finite state machine design. Digital computer building blocks as case studies. Introduction to computer-aided design software.
- Understanding digital logic at the gate and switch level including both combinational and sequential logic elements.
- Understanding clocking methodologies to manage information flow and preservation of circuit state.
- Appreciation of digital logic specification methods and the compilation process that transforms these into logic networks.
- Experience with computer-aided design tools for implementation with programmable logic devices.
- Appreciation of the advantages/disadvantages between hardware and software implementations of a function.
- Additional topics including a low-level survey of the Xilinx Virtex 5 FPGA architecture, computer architecture, GPU architecture, and clockless circuits.
Instructors:
Kris Pister(
Fall 2008),
John Wawrzynek (
Spring 2009,
Spring 2010)
Textbooks:
Course Projects:
- MIPS computer system with hardware-accelerated scanline rasterization and high-speed ethernet interface.
- MIPS processor with hadrdware-accelerated vector graphics
- Real-time audio waveform visualization
Please contact me or the current course staff regarding availability of course materials, and related queries.