Bit-Slice Design: Controllers and ALUs

by Donnamaie E. White

Copyright © 1996, 2001, 2002, 2008 Donnamaie E. White

 
 

Preface

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Simple Controllers

3. Adding Programming Support to the Controller

4. Refining the CCU

5. Evolution of the ALU

6. The ALU and Basic Arithmetic

7. Tying the System Together

Glossary

 

 

Refining the CCU

Last Edit November 2, 1996; May 1, 1999; July 7, 2001


The AMD Am2910 - A Slick Control Solution

Figure 4-7 The AMD Am2910 Supersequencer - now obsolete as a part - solved many of the CCU construction problems - But it lives on as a soft IP


Am2910

The block diagram of the Am2910 is shown in Figure 4-8. This device is controlled by a 4-bit instruction, which would be supplied from one field of the microword format of the system. These four bits provide 16 basic instructions, which are similar but not identical with Am29811A instructions. They are discussed in detail in this chapter.

Figure 4-8 Am2910 Block Diagram

The Am2910 can address up to 4K of PROM/ROM memory. Unused address lines are left floating at the output; the corresponding Di inputs should be tied to ground. It provides three output enables controls: PL', MAP', and VECT' (all are complementary - i.e., should have overbars). The 4-bit instruction, the result of the CC', CCEN' inputs and the internal zero detect for the register/counter all are inputs to an onboard instruction PLA (programmable logic array). The PLA provides the internal controls which correspond to the next-address control logic. The next address can be from one of four sources:

  1. the microprogram counter (µPC)
  2. the LIFO stack (F)
  3. the register/counter (R)
  4. or direct input (D) from whatever is connected to the Di inputs.

Di is connected to the Tristated outputs of the vector map, the mapping PROM, and the pipeline in the example CCU developed so far.

 

 

 

For information about this file or to report problems in its use email donnamaie@sbcglobal.net
Copyright © September 1996, 1999, 2001, 2008 Donnamaie E. White WhitePubs Enterprises, Inc.