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UNIT 4
Sequential Circuit Design
 Steps in the design process for sequential circuits
 State Diagrams and State Tables
 Examples

 Steps in Design of a Sequential Circuit

o 1. Specification – A description of the sequential circuit. Should include a detailing of

the inputs, the outputs, and the operation. Possibly assumes that you have knowledge of
digital system basics.

o 2. Formulation: Generate a state diagram and/or a state table from the statement of the
problem.

o 3. State Assignment: From a state table assign binary codes to the states.

o 4. Flip-flop Input Equation Generation: Select the type of flip-flop for the circuit and
generate the needed input for the required state transitions

o 5. Output Equation Generation: Derive output logic equations for generation of the
output from the inputs and current state.

o 6. Optimization: Optimize the input and output equations. Today, CAD systems are
typically used for this in real systems.

o 7. Technology Mapping: Generate a logic diagram of the circuit using ANDs, ORs,
Inverters, and F/Fs.

o 8. Verification: Use a HDL to verify the design.

Mealy and Moore

 Sequential machines are typically classified as either a Mealy machine or a Moore machine
implementation.

 Moore machine: The outputs of the circuit depend only upon the current state of the circuit.

 Mealy machine: The outputs of the circuit depend upon both the current state of the circuit and
the inputs.

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An example to go through the steps

The specification: The circuit will have one input, X, and one output, Z. The output Z will be 0 except
when the input sequence 1101 are the last 4 inputs received on X. In that case it will be a 1

Generation of a state diagram

 Create states and meaning for them.

o State A – the last input was a 0 and previous inputs unknown. Can also be the reset state.

o State B – the last input was a 1 and the previous input was a 0. The start of a new
sequence possibly.

 Capture this in a state diagram

 Capture this in a state diagram

o Circles represent the states

o Lines and arcs represent the transition between state.

o The notation Input/Output on the line or arc specifies the input that causes this transition
and the output for this change of state.

o Add a state C – Have detected the input sequence 11 which is the start of the sequence

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 Add a state D
o State D – have detected the 3rd input in the start of a sequence, a 0, now having 110.
From State D, if the next input is a 1 the sequence has been detected and a 1 is output.

 The previous diagram was incomplete.

 In each state the next input could be a 0 or a 1. This must be included

 The state table

 This can be done directly from the state diagram

 Now need to do a state assignment

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Select a state assignment

 Will select a gray encoding
 For this state A will be encoded 00, state B 01, state C 11 and state D 10

Flip-flop input equations

 Generate the equations for the flip-flop inputs

 Generate the D0 equation

 Generate the D1 equation

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The output equation

 The next step is to generate the equation for the output Z and what is needed to generate it.

 Create a K-map from the truth table.

Now map to a circuit

 The circuit has 2 D type F/Fs

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Registers and Counters

 An n-bit register is a cascade of n flip-flops and can store an n-bit binary data

 A counter can count occurrences of events and can generate timing intervals for control purposes

A Simple Shift Register

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Parallel-Access Shift Register

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Counters
• Counters are a specific type of sequential circuit.

• Like registers, the state, or the flip-flop values themselves, serves as the “output.”

• The output value increases by one on each clock cycle.

• After the largest value, the output “wraps around” back to 0.

• Using two bits, we’d get something like this:

Present State Next State

A B A B
0 0 0 1
0 1 1 0
1 0 1 1
1 1 0 0

Benefits of counters
• Counters can act as simple clocks to keep track of “time.”

• You may need to record how many times something has happened.

– How many bits have been sent or received?

– How many steps have been performed in some computation?

• All processors contain a program counter, or PC.

– Programs consist of a list of instructions that are to be executed one after another (for the
most part).

– The PC keeps track of the instruction currently being executed.

– The PC increments once on each clock cycle, and the next program instruction is then
executed.

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A Three-Bit Up-Counter
 Q1 is connected to clk, Q2 and Q3 are clocked by Q’ of the preceding stage (hence called
asynchronous or ripple counter

A Three-Bit Down-Counter

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