Digital Hardware: from Binary Arithmetic to Processor

The course focuses on the fundamentals of digital electronics that are essential to understanding the design and working of a wide range of applications, from consumer and industrial electronics to communications; from embedded systems and computers to security and military equipment. As the devices used in these applications decrease in size and employ more complex technology, it is essential for students to understand both the fundamentals and also the implementation and application principles of digital electronics, devices and integrated circuits, thus enabling them to use the most appropriate and effective techniques to suit their technical needs.

The course covers the following topics:

1. Binary arithmetic, logic gates, and Boolean algebra,
2. Combinational logic circuits (adders and subtractors, multipliers, carry lookahead unit,  arithmetic logic unit, multiplexers, demultiplexers, encoders and decoders),
3. Programmable logic devices (SPLDs, CPLDs, and FPGAs),
4. Sequential logic circuits (flip-flops, counters, and registers),
5. Digital-to-analogue and analogue-to-digital converters,
6. Memories (ROM, SRAM, DRAM, and RRAM),
7. Processors, interfaces, and peripherals.

This course includes practical examples and requires active student work.