EECE 320

Digital Systems Design

Syllabus
 Syllabus
• Objectives
 Learn the fundamental principles needed to analyze and
design digital logic circuits
• Combinational
• Sequential
 Learn digital design methodologies and the use of
computer-aided design tools
 Learn how to interpret and write documentation for digital
circuits

EECE 320: Syllabus 2

 Analog versus Digital
• Two basic ways of representing information:
 Analog: Take values across a continuous range (voltage, current)
 Digital: Take only values from a discrete set
• Decimal: {0,1,…,9}, Binary: {0,1} or {T,F} or {Low, High}
• Analog-to-Digital and Digital-to-Analog Converters
Amplitude Analog signal: Values ∈ Reals

Time

Amplitude Digital signal: Values ∈ {0, 1}

1

0
EECE 320: Introduction Time 3
 Digital Systems
• Digital systems have inputs and outputs that are represented by Binary digits (Bits)
or groups of bits.

Analog-to- Digital-to-
Digital Digital Part of the System Analog
Converter Converter
Input from Output to
real world real world
(sound, temperature) (sound, TV display)

• Examples: General-purpose digital computers, digital cameras, digital versatile

disks (DVDs), digital telephones, digital television, personal data assistants (PDAs),
IoT devices, etc.
• Applications: communication, business, traffic control, space, science, medicine,
Internet, weather …

EECE 320: Introduction 4

 Why Digital?
• Reproducibility of results
 Digital circuit: same inputs  same outputs
 Analog circuit: output depends on temperature, power-supply voltage, component
aging, …
• Performance
 Digital systems can operate at a speed of billions of operations per second.
• Reliability
 Digitals systems can operate reliably at high speeds by using error-correcting codes.
• Versatility and Programmability
 By changing the program, the same underlying hardware is used for many different
applications.
• Economy
 Advances in digital integrated circuit technology have caused dramatic cost reductions in
digital devices.
• Hardware Description and Design Automation
 Hardware Description Languages (HDLs) are used to describe, design, simulate, verify
digital circuits

EECE 320: Introduction 5

 Syllabus
• Objectives
 Learn the fundamental principles needed to analyze and
design digital logic circuits
• Combinational
• Sequential
 Learn digital design methodologies and the use of
computer-aided design tools
 Learn how to interpret and write documentation for digital
circuits

EECE 320: Syllabus 6

 Example Basic Logic Gates
NOT AND OR
X Z=X.Y X
X Y=X’ Y Z=X+Y
Y
X Y X Y X.Y X Y X+Y
0 1
0 0 0 0 0 0
1 0
0 1 0 0 1 1
1 0 0 1 0 1
1 1 1 1 1 1

NAND NOR
X X
Y Z=(X.Y)’ Z=(X+Y)’
Y
X Y X.Y X Y X+Y
0 0 1 0 0 1
0 1 1 0 1 0
1 0 1 1 0 0
1 1 0 1 1 0

EECE 320: Introduction 7

 Types of Digital Systems
• Combinational Circuits: Outputs depend on the current inputs
 Adders/Subtractors/Multipliers
 Decoders/Encoders
 Multiplexers/Demultiplexers inputs ... Combinational ... outputs
Circuit

Propagation
delay

• Sequential Circuits: Outputs depend on the current and past inputs

 Registers
 Counters
 FSMs
 Controllers
... Combinational outputs
inputs Circuit Memory
elements

Sequential Circuit
EECE 320: Introduction 8
 Syllabus
• Objectives
 Learn the fundamental principles needed to analyze and
design digital logic circuits
• Combinational
• Sequential
 Learn digital design methodologies and the use of
computer-aided design tools
 Learn how to interpret and write documentation for
digital circuits

EECE 320: Syllabus 9

 Syllabus
• Textbook
 Harris & Harris: “Digital Design and Computer Architecture”,
2nd Edition 2016, Morgan Kaufmann
 John F. Wakerly: “Digital Design Principles & Practices”, 4th
Edition 2006, Prentice-Hall
• Moodle
 Lectures, Assignments, Deadlines, News, etc.
• Prerequisites
 EECE 210 Electric Circuits and Electronics
 EECE 230 Introduction to Programming

EECE 320: Syllabus 10

 Syllabus
• Topics
 Introduction (Chapter 1)
 Number Systems and Codes (Chapter 2)
 Combinational Logic Design Principles (Chapter 4)
 Hardware Descriptive language (Chapter 5)
 Combinational Logic Design Practices (Chapter 6)
 Sequential Logic Design Principles (Chapter 7)
 Sequential Logic Design Practices (Chapter 8)
 Memory (Chapter 9)

EECE 320: Syllabus 11

 Syllabus
• Evaluation
 Homework 10%
 Projects 20%
 Quizzes 40%
 Final Exam 30%

• Midterm and Final Exams

 Closed book
 Subjective and comprehensive
 Calculators are not allowed

EECE 320: Syllabus 12

 Course Projects (20%)
• Two projects throughout the semester
 Combinational project
 Sequential project

• Projects require VHDL programming

 VHDL: Very High-Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description
Language
 Modelsim software tool required in homeworks and projects
for VHDL designs and simulations

• Students work in groups of 3 in projects and in

assignments
 Choose your group-mates wisely and quickly
EECE 320: Syllabus 13
Hardware Description Language (HDL)
 An HDL is a language that describes the hardware
of digital systems in a textual form.
• Similar to a programming language, but more
oriented towards hardware
 We can use an HDL to represent/describe logic
diagrams, Boolean expressions, combinational
circuits, sequential circuits, even a complete
microprocessor.
 Two standard HDLs:
• VHDL (mid 80’s): We will use in EECE 320
• Verilog HDL (1984): Once you learn VHDL, it is easy to
learn Verilog (which you will do in EECE420)
EECE 320: VHDL 14
Hardware Description Language (HDL)

 Applications of HDLs:
• Logic design: Describe/model the design of a
digital system
• Logic simulation: Simulate the behavior of a digital
system
• Logic synthesis: Derive a list of components
(gates) and their interconnections (netlist) from
the model of a digital system described in HDL,
ready for hardware implementation

EECE 320: VHDL 15

 Syllabus
• Instructor
 Dr. Mohammed Husseini
 Online Office Hours: TBD
• Send e-Mail
 E-Mail: ma36@aub.edu.lb

EECE 320: Syllabus 16

 Students with Special Needs
• AUB strives to make learning experiences as accessible as possible.
• If you anticipate or experience academic barriers due to a disability
(including mental health, chronic or temporary medical conditions),
please inform me immediately so that we can privately discuss options.
• In order to help establish reasonable accommodations and facilitate a
smooth accommodations process, you are encouraged to contact the
Accessible Education Office:
 accessibility@aub.edu.lb
 +961-1-350000, x3246; West Hall, 314.
• Do not wait for the date of the final exam to let us know. By then, there
will be little we can do to help.

EECE 320: Syllabus 17