Admission requirements
Not applicable
Description
In this course, the students learn about the basic principles, techniques, and building blocks used to design today’s digital systems (such as controllers, processors, computers, etc). More specifically the following topics are covered: Digital Systems and Information, Number Systems, Binary Arithmetic Operations, Decimal and Alphanumeric Codes, Boolean Algebra, Combinational Logic Circuits, Logic Functions and Circuits, Arithmetic Functions and Circuits, Sequential Circuits, Memory Basics, Registers and Register Transfers, Computer Design Basics.
During the lectures the fundamentals of digital systems design are presented, i.e., theoretical foundations, basic digital circuits and building blocks, design algorithms and procedures, etc. In addition, several hands-on tutorials are given to train the students how to solve simple digital design problems in practice and how to use modern software tools to design digital circuits. Moreover, a design project is given to the students in order to apply the knowledge built during the lectures and hands-on tutorials by designing a simple 4-bit microprocessor. Furthermore, several home works are given to the students in order to understand better the material given at the lectures and to study alone additional material not given at the lectures.
Course objectives
The course gives a comprehensive overview and basic knowledge of the field through a series of lectures, hands-on tutorials, design project, and home works. The main goal is that the students gain insight into how the modern digital systems are designed and what their main building components are.
Timetable
The most updated version of the timetables can be found on the students' website:
Mode of instruction
The hands-on tutorials and home works are mandatory components of the course.
Assessment method
The final grade is a combination of grades. A student will receive three Grades: one for the midterm exam (Gme), one for the final exam (Gfe), and one for the design project (Gp). All of them are important and will form the Final Grade as follows:
If (Gfe ≥ 6.0 and Gp ≥ 6.0) then
Final Grade = 0.4xGfe + 0.4xGp + 0.2xGme
else
Final Grade ≤ 5
Reading list
The following book is recommended but not mandatory for the course: M. Morris Mano and Charles R. Kime: Logic and Computer Design Fundamentals, 3th or 4th edition (NOT necessarily with CD-ROMs), 2008, Pearson Education ; isbn-13: 978-0-13-198926-9; isbn-10: 0-13-198926-9
Slides will be provided to the students for download.
Registration
You can enrol via uSis . More information about signing up for classes and exams can be found here .
Contact information
Study coordinator Computer Science, Riet Derogee.