Course detail

Digital Circuits

FEKT-BPC-DIOAcad. year: 2025/2026

Fundamentals of digital circuits. VHDL language and general syntax. Concurrent statements, design methodology and examples. Logic hazards, their elimination and avoiding. Sequential statements, design methodology and examples. Metastability. State machine theory and design methodology. Translation of VHDL code to schematic representation (methodology understanding). Practical design of sequential systems and state machines.

Language of instruction

Czech

Number of ECTS credits

7

Mode of study

Not applicable.

Guarantor

doc. Ing. Lukáš Fujcik, Ph.D.

Department

Department of Microelectronics (UMEL)

Entry knowledge

Student should be able to:
- Describe the basic logic gates NAND, NOR, AND, OR, INV – logic functions, truth tables etc.
- Conversion from various number representations
- Describe CMOS technology process and how the NMOS and PMOS transistor work.
- Fundamentals of flowcharts and their utilization

Rules for evaluation and completion of the course

30 points for work during semester.
70 points for final exam.

The content and forms of instruction in the evaluated course are specified by a regulation issued by the lecturer responsible for the course and updated for every academic year.

Aims

Aim of this course is make students familiar with recent digital world by balanced using of theory, intuitive approach and practical exercises performed on development kits with FPGA circuit. Students learn the methodology of digital circuit design which can be applied on any platforms such as FGPA, ASIC or discrete solution.
Student will be able to:
- explain fundamentals of combinational and sequential circuits and how these circuits manually design
- describe digital circuits by using VHDL
- design state machines and their design and methodology
- draw the schematic representation from VHDL code
- explain synchronous circuit design methodology

Study aids

electronic texts, presentations, video tutorials 

Prerequisites and corequisites

Not applicable.

Basic literature

Frank Bruno, Guy Eschemann, The FPGA Programming Handbook - Second Edition: An essential guide to FPGA design for transforming ideas into hardware using SystemVerilog and VHDL, 2024, ISBN 978-1805125594 (EN)
Kang, Yusuf Leblebici, Chulwoo Kim, CMOS Digital Integrated Circuits, 2019, ISBN 978-9353165093 (EN)
Pinker, J., Poupa, M., Číslicové systémy a jazyk VHDL, BEN - Technická literatura, 2006, ISBN: 80-7300-198-5 (CS)
Volnei A. Pedroni, Circuit Design with VHDL, third edition, 2023, ISBN 978-0262042642 (EN)

Recommended reading

Not applicable.

Classification of course in study plans

  • Programme BPC-NCP Bachelor's 2 year of study, summer semester, compulsory
  • Programme BPC-ECT Bachelor's 0 year of study, summer semester, elective
  • Programme BPC-MET Bachelor's 2 year of study, summer semester, compulsory

Type of course unit

 

Lecture

26 hod., optionally

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Lukáš Fujcik, Ph.D.

Syllabus

1.-4. Combinational circuits - manual design, VHDL language 5.-6. Sequential circuits - manual design, VHDL language 7.-9. State machines - manual design, VHDL language 

Laboratory exercise

39 hod., compulsory

Teacher / Lecturer

doc. Ing. Lukáš Fujcik, Ph.D.

Syllabus

1. Introduction to the Xilinx ISE development environment, basic commands of the VHDL language
2. Basic logic gates, Boolean algebra, De Morgan's laws
3. Design of a BCD decoder for a 7-segment display, combinational logic
4. Design of a digital comparator, design of basic arithmetic operations, combinational logic, structural description
5. Solution of a complex task using combinational logic - Chemical tank
6. Sequential logic - RS flip-flop, D flip-flop, JK flip-flop, shift register
7. Sequential logic - design of asynchronous and synchronous binary counters, advantages and disadvantages, applications
8. Sequential logic - design of a complex BCD counter 0÷99, multiplexing of 7-segment display (dynamic mode), state machines
9. Sequential logic - debouncer, counters - reaction time measurement
10. Complex example - design of control logic for a simple vending machine - combinational + sequential logic (state machines)
11. Design of a 4-bit pulse width modulator, design of a sequential circuit, pulse width modulation
12. Credit week, evaluation