- Capability to design combinational and sequential digital circuits.
- Understand digital design methodology and gain experience with tools for design and debugging digital systems
- Basic understanding of the principles of digital system design at the register-transfer level
- Knowledge of semiconductor memories and programmable logic devices
- Basic knowledge of microprocessors and microcontrollers. Capability to develop simple applications using microcontrollers.
Description of contents: programme
1. Introduction to design and implementation of digital circuits
- Technologies for implementing digital circuits
- Hardware description languages
- Design flow: simulation and automatic synthesis
- Basic concepts of VHDL design
2. Combinational circuits and VHDL description
- Logic functions and boolean expressions
- Basic logic gates
- Multiplexers
- Encoders and decoders
- Comparators
- Aritmethic circuits
3. Sequential circuits and VHDL description
- Synchronous and asynchronous flip-flops: synchronous digital design
- Registers and counters
- Finite state machines
- Memories
4. Simulation and synthesis of VHDL decribed digital circuits
- VHDL for simulation and synthesis
- Testbenches and simulation models
- Synthesis. Resource usage and timing. Constraints
5. Digital circuit implementation
- Programmable logic devices (FPGA)
- Custom integrated circuits (ASIC)
- Digital circuit design flow
6. Introduction to digital systems and microprocessors
- Structure of a digital system: datapath and control
- Typical components in a digital system
- Digital System design at the Register-Transfer Level
- Basic structure of a microprocessor
- Operation of a microprocessor. Instructions
7. Study of a microcontroller
- Internal architecture
- Memory and register organization
- Instruction set
- Microcontroller programming. Development environment
8. Peripherals
- Types of inputs and outputs
- General purpose parallel I/Os
- Timers
- Methods for communication with peripherals. Interrupts
Learning activities and methodology
- Lectures: 1 session/week (2 h.)
- Practice: 1 session/week (2 h.)
- Lab. Practice: 4 sessions, 3 h. each
- Personal assistance, as scheduled by the professor
Assessment System
% end-of-term-examination 45
% of continuous assessment (assigments, laboratory, practicals...) 55
