1. Circuit Design Process
Troubleshooting
Digital Electronics TM
1.3 Introduction to Digital
Circuit Design Process
Digital Electronics
© 2014 Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Copyright 2009

2. Circuit Design Process
Combinational Logic Design Process
Digital Electronics 
Word Problem - Identify and define the requirement specifications. What are the inputs? What are the outputs? Sometimes it is helpful to create a table that defines what is means for a specification to be “high” or “low”.
Identify Circuit Types Required - What ICs are required and available for the design? Will any part of the circuit require an analog design? Is there combinational logic required? Is there sequential logic required? Is a clock signal needed? Do I have the necessary Datasheets? Pin diagrams?
Truth Table for Combinational Logic Section
Hand Calculations and Sketches of Initial Circuit
Simulation
Breadboard and Test
Using Version #1 of the Combinational Logic Design Process, students will be able to design AOI based logic circuits from a given word problem. They will have the option to simplify the logic expression using Boolean algebra.
Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Copyright 2009

3. Circuit Design – Best Practices
Combinational Logic Design Process
Circuit Design – Best Practices
Digital Electronics 
Prototype and test the circuit incrementally. Don’t design and build the entire circuit only to find is does not work properly. It is easier to trouble shoot the circuit in sections rather than try and troubleshoot the complete circuit in its entirety.
As you progress through this course, you will be introduced to advancements in technology and in the circuit design process itself.
As you learn about these advancements you will be able to make even more choices that will help you design efficient circuits in shorter amounts of time.
In this lesson we will learn about the circuit design process by exploring simple designs in combinational and sequential logic.
Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Copyright 2009

4. Combinational Logic Design Process
Digital Electronics 
Design Process
Version #1
Word Problem
Write Logic Expression
Boolean Simplification
AOI Logic
Implementation
Create Truth-Table NO
Simplification
Using Version #1 of the Combinational Logic Design Process, students will be able to design AOI based logic circuits from a given word problem. They will have the option to simplify the logic expression using Boolean algebra.
Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Copyright 2009

5. Combinational Logic Design Process
Digital Electronics 
Design Process
Version #2
K-Mapping
NOR Only Logic
Implementation
NAND Only Logic Implementation
Word Problem
Write Logic Expression
Boolean Simplification
AOI Logic
Create Truth-Table NO
Simplification
Version #2 of the Combinational Logic Design Process adds two features to the design process. First, the students will be able to re-implement their AOI implementations into either NAND only or NOR only implementations, resulting in more efficient designs. Second, students will be able to utilize the Karnaugh mapping (K-Map) technique to simplify the logic expressions rather than using Boolean algebra.
Project Lead The Way, Inc.
Copyright 2009