Computer System Architecture
COMP201Th
Unit: 2
Basic Computer Organization and Design
Lecture: 3
Timing and Control, Instruction Cycle
The timing for all registers in the basic computer is controlled by a
master clock generator. The clock pulses are applied to all flip-flops and
registers in the system, including the flip-flops and registers in the control unit.
The clock pulses do not change the state of a register unless the register is
enabled by a control signal.
The control signals are generated in the control unit and provide
control inputs for the multiplexers in the common bus, control inputs in
processor registers and micro-operations for the accumulator.
There are two major types of control organization:
Hardwired Control
Micro-programmed Control
Hardwired Control Micro-programmed Control
The control logic is implemented with The control information is stored in a
gates, flip-flops, decoders and other control memory. The control memory
digital circuits. is programmed to initiate the
required sequence of micro operations.
The advantage is that it can Compared with the hardwired
be optimized to produce a fast mode of control operation is slow.
operation.
Requires changes in the wiring Required changes or modifications cn
among the various components if the be done by updating
design the
has to be modified or changed. microprogram in control memory.
The block diagram of the hardwired control unit is shown below:
Fig: Control Unit of Basic Computer
The control unit of basic computers consists of two decoders, a sequence
counter and a number of control logic gates.
An instruction read from memory is placed in the instruction register
(IR). It is divided into three parts:
a. The I bit
b. The operation code and
c. Bits 0 through 11.
The operation code in bits 12 through 14 are decoded with a 3*8
decoder. The eight outputs of the decoder are designated by the
symbols D 0 through D 7.
Bit 15 of the instruction is transferred to a flip-flop designated by
the symbol I.
Bits 0 through 11 are applied to the control logic gates.
The 4-bit sequence counter can count in binary from 0 through 15.
The o u t p u t s of th e co u n ter are decoded into 1 6 timing s i g n a l s T 0 t h r o u g h
T 15 .
The sequence counter S C can be incremented or cleared synchronously.
The counter is incremented to provide the sequence of timing signals out
of the 4*16 decoder.
Instruction Cycle:
A program residing in the memory unit of the computer consists of a
sequence of instructions. The program is executed in the computer by going
through a cycle of each instruction. E ach instruction cycle in turn is
subdivided into a sequence of sub cycles or phases.
In the basic computer each instruction cycle consists of the following
phases:
1. Fetch an instruction from memory.
2. Decode the instruction
3. Read the effective address from memory if the instruction has an indirect
address.
4. Execute the instruction.
Upon the completion of step 4, the control goes back to step 1 to fetch, decode,
and execute the next instruction.
1. Fetch instruction: Read instruction code from address in P C and place
in IR. (IR Memory[PC])
2. Decode instruction: Hardware determines what the opcode/function is
and determines which registers or memory addresses contain the
operands.
3. Fetch operands from the memory if necessary: If any operands are
memory addresses, initiate memory read cycles to read them into C P U
registers. If an operand is in memory, not a register, then the memory
address of the operand is known as the effective address (EA). The
fetching of an operand can therefore be denoted as Register
Memory[EA].
4. Execute: Perform the function of the instruction. If arithmetic or logic
instruction, utilize the ALU circuits to carry out the operation on data in
registers.
