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This ninth edition of Digital Electronics: A Practical Approach with VHDL provides
the fundamentals of digital circuitry to students in engineering and technology curricula.
The digital circuits are introduced using fixed-function 7400 ICs and evolve into
FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) programmed with VHDL (VHSIC Hardware
Description Language). (Note: Those schools not wishing to develop logic using
VHDL and FPGAs can completely skip those sections of the textbook without affecting
the continuity of the remainder of the text, which describes logic design and implementation
using 7400-series ICs.)
Coverage begins with the basic logic gates used to perform arithmetic operations
and proceeds through sequential logic and memory circuits used to interface to modern
PCs. Professor Kleitz uses his vast experience of teaching electronics online and in
class from his best-selling textbooks to know what it takes for an entry-level student to
be brought up to speed in this emerging field. It was important to design this new textbook
to present practical examples, be easy to read, and provide all of the information
necessary for motivated students to teach themselves this new subject matter. This
makes it ideal for learning in an online environment as well as from conventional inclass
lectures.
Digital electronic ICs (integrated circuits) and FPGAs are the “brains” behind
common microprocessor-based systems such as those found in automobiles, personal
computers, and automated factory control systems. The most exciting recent development
in this field is that students now have the choice to design, simulate, and implement
their circuits using a programming language called VHDL instead of wiring
individual gates and devices to achieve the required function.
Each topic area in this text consistently follows a very specific sequence of steps,
making the transition from problem definition, to practical example, to logic IC implementation,
to VHDL and FPGA implementation. To accomplish this, the text first introduces
the theory of operation of the digital logic and then implements the design in
integrated circuit form (see Figure P–1). Once the fixed-function IC logic is thoroughly
explained, the next step is to implement the design as a graphic design file and then to
implement it using the VHDL hardware descriptive language, all within the free version
of the Altera Quartus® II development software. Several examples are used to bolster
the student’s understanding of the subject before moving on to system-level design and
troubleshooting applications of the logic. This step-by-step method has proven over the
years to be the most effective method to build the fundamental understanding of digital
electronics before proceeding to implement the logic design in VHDL.
The Altera Quartus® II software is a free download that allows students to either
graphically design their circuit by drawing the logic (using logic gates or 7400 macrofunctions)
or use VHDL to define their logic. The design can then be simulated on a
PC before using the same software to download the logic to an FPGA on one of the
commercially available FPGA programmer boards, such as the Altera DE2 illustrated
in this text. |
