BSc Computer Science / Course details

In this course you will learn about the design of digital electronic systems from simple digital circuits to the design of a simple processor. The exercises undertaken in laboratories complement the material covered in lectures. Professional commercial software tools are used in laboratories to enter designs and simulate their behaviour.

Students who are not from the School of Computer Science must have permission from both Computer Science and their home School to enrol.

Students who are not from the School of Computer Science must have permission from both Computer Science and their home School to enrol.

The main aim of this course is to give students a basic understanding of the hardware which underpins computing systems. Further aims include: Introduction to basic logic and logic gates Partitioning of simple systems into combinatorial and sequential blocks To introduce basic CAD tools to aid in the design of a basic computer system To provide an overview of hardware description languages with particular emphasis on SystemVerilog, logic level implementation of a simple processor, discussion of how computer systems interact with memory and I/O devices

• Convert between different number bases and perform the process of binary addition and subtraction
• Manipulate Boolean expressions and illustrate their implementation using simple combinatorial circuits
• Discuss the design of simple binary adders and highlight the limitations of the design
• Explain the key features of the Verilog language and write behavioural models in Verilog of combinatorial and sequential logic circuit designs
• Design, implement and verify circuit designs using CAD tools
• Discuss the organisation and operation of a simple digital computer including the processor, memory and input/output
• Discuss and implement the design of a simple processor
• Discuss the execution of machine language programs on a simple processor design and produce working code

1. Introduction Course unit overview and introduction to the lab.

2. Introduction to logic Digital signals, data representation, Boolean logic and functions, De Morgan’s theorem, logic gates, multiplexers, binary arithmetic, abstraction & hierarchy, clocks, sequential systems.

3. Computer Aided Design (CAD) Complexity and design – the need for CAD tools, testing & simulation,

4. Hardware description languages Verilog - Introduction to Verilog, Verilog assignments, the always block and sensitivity list, design of combinatorial and sequential circuits in Verilog.

5. Register Transfer Level (RTL) Design The synchronous paradigm, introduction to sequential systems, RTL view of design, the register, datapath and control,

6. Finite State Machines (FSM) Introduction to the FSM, state transition diagrams, state transition tables, implementation in Verilog.

7. Processor Design Overview of the three-box model: CPU, Memory, I/O, processor operation, instruction execution – fetch/decode/execute – and the sequencing of actions, program counter, instruction register, condition code register.

8. The Manchester University 0 (MU0) Processor Introduction to MU0 - instruction set and operation, arithmetic logic unit (ALU) design and critical path, design of the MU0 datapath and control.

9. Memory Von Neumann and Harvard architecture, tri-state buffers and bidirectional buses, memory map, address decoding schemes – one dimensional and two-dimensional, memory architectures, address decoders.

10. Memory hierarchy Memory hierarchy and relationship between speed, cost and capacity, cache, SRAM, DRAM, ROM, Flash, HDD and optical storage.

11. Input and output The I/O interface, communication and I/O devices, parallel and serial communications, polling and interrupts, implementing and servicing interrupts, direct memory access, universal serial bus (USB)

 

This unit will be delivered using a blended approach to learning. Self-study materials will be made available in the form of written notes, videos and self-assessment quizzes in Blackboard that allow you to check your understanding of the material provided. Each week there will be synchronous sessions which will focus on covering design

examples and/or providing support and general feedback on laboratory exercises. These sessions will be, where possible, interactive. Laboratory exercises are supported by weekly timetabled laboratory sessions (from week 2), where students can get help and support and make use of the hardware required for the lab exercises to be completed.

Feedback is provided via formative quizzes in Blackboard, via automated marking for laboratory work, with feedback on work being delivered by email, and through in-class demonstrations with GTAs.

COMP12111 reading list can be found on the Department of Computer Science website for current students.