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ECSE-2610ECSE-2610Computer Components Computer Components & Operations (COCO)& Operations (COCO)

Welcome to the world of Computers!

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The Digital WorldThe Digital World

PCs

printer

Scanner

TelephoneFax

Data

Mainframe/supercomputer

PDA

Laptop computer

Router

Router

Router

Television

CRT projector

smartcards

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The Digital WorldThe Digital World• Information Processing Systems, especially

computers, are driving the world economy.– The Internet is changing the way we communicate, shop, learn,

invest, and entertain ourselves.

• This is an amazingly fast moving business!!– Processors double in speed every 18 months

– The Internet doubles in size every year

• Computers are the most amazing and complex things ever built by mankind

– The Intel Pentium III has 28 million transistors

– It runs at 1.3 billion cycles per second

COCO is about:

1. Computer building blocks

2. How the building blocks are assembled to build the computer

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Sheer ComplexitySheer Complexity

• 28 million transistors

• 1.3 billion cycles/sec clock

• Just one part of a computer

• Overall, a computer can have a billion transistors.

Intel Pentium III Chip

The Design Process is a systematic way to cope with all this complexity.

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Basic IdeasBasic Ideas

• To design is to represent• Divide and conquer• Successive Refinement• Use Math Tools:

Combinational LogicSequential Logic

• Use Software tools

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Traffic Signal ExampleTraffic Signal ExampleN

S

EW

N - S E - W

Lights for N & S are the same, call them N-S

Similarly, we have E-W

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What the System DoesWhat the System Does

• Cycles through the sequence GREEN-YELLOW-RED

• N-S and E-W never GREEN or YELLOW at the same time

• GREEN stays on for 45 seconds, YELLOW for 15, RED for 60

N

S

EW

N - S E - W

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System RequirementsSystem Requirements

• speed: compute changes in under 100 ms

• power: consume less than 20 watts

• board area: implementation in less than 20 square cm

• cost: less than $20 in manufacturing costs

N

S

EW

N - S E - W

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"To Design Is to Represent""To Design Is to Represent"

1. English language specificationnot precise and subject to ambiguity

2. Functional descriptionmore preciseflow charts, program fragments

3. Structural descriptionmodules decomposed into

simpler components

4. Physical descriptionIn terms of logic gates or

transistors

Start

after 45 seconds

after 15 seconds

after 45 seconds

after 15 seconds

N-S RedE-W Yellow

N-S RedE-W Green

N-S YellowE-W Red

N-S GreenE-W Red

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Going from One Going from One Representation to AnotherRepresentation to Another

Top Down: Complex functions replaced by more primitive functions

Bottom Up: Build more and more complex assemblies out of smaller parts,

respecting the rules of composition

Rules of Composition: Electrical RulesTiming Rules

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TrafficSubsystem

StartN-S Green

E-W Red

N-S YellowN-S Red

E-W GreenE-W Yellow

45 secs

TimerStart Light Sequencer

15 secs

N-S Green

E-W Red

N-S YellowN-S Red

E-W GreenE-W Yellow

Start Timer

15 secs

N-S Lights

E-W Lights

Counter

45 secs

Decoder

N-S Green

E-W Red

N-S YellowN-S Red

E-W GreenE-W Yellow

Top-Down Design ExampleTop-Down Design Example

Refine

Refine again

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The Process of BuildingThe Process of Building

Ex., a group of flip flops form a counter

groups of gates form flip flops, timers, sequencers etc.

a group of transistors form a gate

Gates

Transistors

Modules

System

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Representations & TechnologiesRepresentations & Technologies

Word description

Functional Description

Blocks

Waveforms

Truth Tables

Boolean Algebra

Gates

Transistors

Rapid PrototypingTechnologies

ChipDesign

ComputerSynthesisTools

Computer Simulation

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Debugging the SystemDebugging the System

• Design FlawsImplementation does not meet functional specification

Logic design is incorrect (wrong function implemented)

• Implementation Flaws

Individual modules function correctly but their compositions do not

Misunderstanding of interface and timing behavior

Wiring mistakes

• Component Flaws

What Can Go Wrong

• Design Flaws

• Implementation Flaws

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Systematic testingSystematic testing

Simulation before constructionSimulation before construction

Use lab Instruments, e.g., Logic Analyzers

Debugging MethodsDebugging Methods

Divide and conquerDivide and conquer

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Design

Recap Of Design ProcessRecap Of Design Process

DesignInitial concept: what is the function performed by the object?Constraints: How fast? How much area? How much cost?Refine abstract functional blocks into more concrete realizations

Implementation

Assemble primitives into more complex building blocksComposition via wiringChoose among alternatives to improve the design

DebugFaulty systems: design flaws, composition flaws, component flawsDesign to make debugging easierHypothesis formation and troubleshooting skills

ImplementationIteration

Debug

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What did we cover ?What did we cover ?

• Sec 1.1 in Randy Katz Textbook

• Be sure to read Sec 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3 in the textbook (omit sec 1.3.5-1.3.7, and Sec 1.4)

• This reading is necessary for getting points in the Studio Activity!