Digital Electronics

Discussion Forum 4

In Discussion Forum 4, post your response to the following discussion questions. Reply to at least two classmates’ responses by the date indicated in the course Calendar.

• What are some obvious advantages of using a full adder as oppose to using a half adder? From a design perspective, what are the disadvantages of using a full adder as oppose to a half adder?
• What are some of the design considerations one will have to consider in developing a decoder?
• What everyday technologies are based on multiplexer technology? Identify the inputs and outputs of that technology?
• What condition determines when to use a ripple carry adder vs a look-ahead carry adder?
• Can you create a comparator out of adders? If so, how?
• Can you make a full adder out of a half adder? If so, how would you do so? If a full adder is created out of half adders would the architecture be considered a ripple adder? If so, why?

Discussion Forum 5

In Discussion Forum 5, post your response to the following discussion questions. Reply to at least two classmates’ responses by the date indicated in the course Calendar.

• Can you make a flip flop out of a latch? If so, how would you implement it? If not, why not?
• If you had to create a counter, would you use flip-flops or latches? Why?
• Why is it important to initialize a storage device such as a flip flop or latch?

Discussion Forum 6

In Discussion Forum 6, post your response to the following discussion question. Reply to at least two classmates’ responses by the date indicated in the course Calendar.

• Give a scenario in which a ROM is better suited than a RAM?
• Most cell phones can be upgraded to the latest firmware. What type of memory device is used for the firmware upgrade?
• What are some of the advantages of using solid state memory vs the traditional hard drive in computers? What are some of the disadvantages of using solid state memory?