ECE 331 Digital System Design

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ECE 331 Digital System Design

• Instructor Dr. Kris Gaj
• Course originally designed by Prof. Ken Hintz
• Course Information
• http//cpe.gmu.edu/ece3311.htm

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Administrative

• Office
• Science and Technology II, Room 223
• Office Hours
• Tuesday/Thursday 600-700 PM
• Other Times by Appointment (e-mail)
• E-mail kgaj_at_gmu.edu
• Phone
• [phone] (Answering Machine)

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Recitation

• Recitation Instructor and ECE-332 Instructor
• Evan Handy
• E-mail ehandy_at_gmu.edu
• Recitation Sessions
• Wednesday, 330-420 PM, Robinson Hall A, room
  246
• Friday, 230-320 PM, Robinson Hall A, room 246
• Recitations start next week, Feb 2, Feb 4

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Grading

• Homework/Recitation 30
• MidTerm Exam 30
• Final Exam 40
• Homework
• Assignments will be on the web
• Assignments need to be turned in at the beginning
  of recitations
• All homework will be accounted for and graded by
  the recitation instructor

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Grading

• Attendance
• Taken at recitation, but not taken at lecture.
• You are responsible for all material.
• Makeup Exams
• Makeup exams are rarely given. Requests for
  a delayed Final Exam due to multiple tests in one
  day will ONLY be considered if proper forms are
  completed and in my hands prior to mid-semester
  Break.

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Homeworks

• Some Homeworks Require Use of VHDL
• Hands-on in ECE-332
• Mentor Graphics Quickvhdl, 10 Floating Licenses
• Installed on
• iris.gmu.edu (ECE Dept. Computer, Sun)
• Meta-tutorial on cpe.gmu.edu
• X-terminals
• Room 133/137, NCD Lab

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VHDL Support

• IEEE Interactive VHDL Tutorial
• On-line on Computer Engineering Home page
• http//cpe.gmu.edu
• IEEE Standard 1076-93
• Aldec-HDL environment
• student version available for 49.95
• see http//www.aldec.com/ActiveHDL/
• university_Studentedition.htm

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Honor Code

• You Are Encouraged to Discuss Problems With Other
  Students and/or Obtain the Assistance of the
  Recitation Instructor on Homework. Nevertheless,
  write-down solutions to your homework assignments
  by yourself.
• Exams Are Closed Book, Closed Notes, No Use of
  Logic Functions on Calculators, and the Normal
  Honor Code Applies to All Exams.

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Web Resources

• Homework assignments reading and problems to
  solve with due dates
• Week-by-week milestone chart material covered in
  class, textbook chapters to read, exam dates
• Power Point version of slides used during the
  lecture Prof. Hintz version, my version with
  possible modifications

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Types of homework assignments

• Required reading
• - after the lecture, due first lecture the
  following week
• Suggested reading
• - before the lecture
• Required problem assignments
• - due at the beginning of your recitation
  session
• graded by the recitation instructor
• Bonus problem assignments
• - due at the beginning of the second lecture of
  the week
• graded by the course instructor

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Required Textbook

• Analysis and Design of Digital Systems with VHDL
• Allen Dewey
• ISBN 0-534-95410-3
• 1997

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Why digital systems?

• Greater system complexities
• - hierarchical design
• - Computer Aided-Design (CAD) tools
• Higher reliability
• Higher resistance to
• - noise and intereference
• - ambient temperature changes
• - aging
• Easier programmability

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Digital Design Process

• Computer Aided Design Tools
• Design entry
• Synthesis
• Verification and simulation
• Physical design
• Fabrication
• Testing

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VHDL

• Very High Speed Integrated Circuit
• Hardware
• Description
• Language
• A Formal Language for Specifying the Behavior and
  Structure of a Digital Circuit
• Allows Top-Down Hierarchical Design