Introduction to Digital Electronics General Safety Digital Electronics TM 1.1 Foundations and The Board Game Counter Introduction to Digital Electronics Digital Electronics © 2014 Project Lead The Way, Inc. Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2009

What is Digital Electronics? Digital Electronics TM (DE) is the study of electronic circuits that are used to process and control digital signals. In contrast to analog electronics, where information is represented by a continuously varying voltage, digital signals are represented by two discrete voltages or logic levels.  This distinction allows for greater signal speed and storage capabilities and has revolutionized the world of electronics. 

Digital electronics is the foundation of all modern electronic devices such as cellular phones, MP3 players, laptop computers, digital cameras, high definition televisions, etc. The major focus of the DE course is to expose students to the design process of combinational and sequential logic design, teamwork, communication methods, engineering standards, and technical documentation.

What are Digital Devices? General Safety What are Digital Devices? Digital Electronics TM 1.1 Foundations and The Board Game Counter A digital device contains an electrical circuit that uses discrete (exact) values in its design and function. These discrete values are usually zero’s (0) and one’s (1). You have probably heard of this system of notation based on only two possible values. What do we call it? Binary Binary Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2009

Why Are There So Many Digital Devices Today? General Safety Why Are There So Many Digital Devices Today? Digital Electronics TM 1.1 Foundations and The Board Game Counter Historically, most electronic devices contain analog circuitry. (Continuously variable signals) Today it is difficult to find an electronic device that does not have some part of its design that is digital. There are a few major breakthroughs in technology that can be attributed to the huge number of digital devices we see today. The Transistor (Foundational Component) The Microchip (Size, Speed, Data Storage) CD/DVD/Blue-Ray (Data Storage) Fiber-Optic Cable (Binary Data Transmission) Wireless Technology (Binary Data Transmission) Instructor may wish to allow students to research these 3 topics for 5-10 minutes and report out what they have learned. Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2009

Why Are Digital Devices Important? General Safety Why Are Digital Devices Important? Digital Electronics TM 1.1 Foundations and The Board Game Counter Personal computers, smartphones, and wireless routers are examples of digital devices. When purchasing any of these digital devices, what are the critical performance features a customer wants? Digital devices and the improvement of digital designs make these things possible. There are many types of digital circuits that are all around us. Fast processing speed Large amounts of file storage space (memory/hard drive) Small size Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2009

What do Electrical Engineers Do? General Safety Digital Electronics TM 1.1 Foundations and The Board Game Counter Electrical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with the technology of electricity, especially the design and application of circuitry and equipment for power generation and distribution, machine control, and communications. Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2009

Who Works with Digital Devices? General Safety Digital Electronics TM 1.1 Foundations and The Board Game Counter Electrical engineers are not the only ones who know about digital circuits and work with them regularly. Technicians Programmers Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2009

How is this Class Different? General Safety How is this Class Different? Digital Electronics TM 1.1 Foundations and The Board Game Counter Some students have studied electricity and circuits in other classes. What make this course different? A scientist asks: “ What are the laws of nature that make it possible that moving a wire through a magnetic field will generate an electrical current in the wire?” An engineer asks: “ I know that moving a wire through a magnetic field can generate an electrical current in the wire. How can I use that knowledge to construct something to address a need?” Circuit Design Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2009

Progression of Digital Design Tools General Safety Digital Electronics TM 1.1 Foundations and The Board Game Counter Transistors Gates Integrated Chips Programmable Logic Devices Microcomputers / Microcontrollers Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2009

How is this Class Different? General Safety Digital Electronics TM 1.1 Foundations and The Board Game Counter In this class you learn how to design circuits. As you learn about circuit design process, you will gain a historical perspective on how advancements in technology and the circuit design process itself have impacted the world of electronics. Did you know: The binary mathematics that govern much of digital design were actually figured out roughly 100 years before the invention of the transistor? (Transistors make digital circuits possible.) Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2009

What Does a Circuit Design Process Look Like? General Safety What Does a Circuit Design Process Look Like? Digital Electronics TM 1.1 Foundations and The Board Game Counter Analog Circuits Before we can jump into digital designs, it is important to understand basic circuits, analog components and analog designs. What are the characteristics of analog and digital circuits? How are they different? Digital Circuits How do I get the circuit to do what I want it to do? Combinational Logic. How do I get the circuit to do what I want it to do, when I want it to happen? Sequential Logic. “What are the characteristics of analog and digital circuits? How are they different?” – We will explore these questions in Unit 1 Foundations in Electronics Project Lead The Way, Inc. Copyright 2009