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Microprocessor Mastery

Microprocessor Mastery





The Complete Microprocessor

Architecture, Logic, and Troubleshooting Review







1. The Ecosystem: How Files Connect

In this lab, you moved between visual design (Digital) and hardware description code (Verilog). Understanding how these files talk to each other is crucial.




.dig File
(Visual Schematic)


➡


microprocessor.v
(Hardware Code)


+


micro_stim.v
(The Test Bench)







rom_vals.hex
(The Dictionary)


↘


iverilog / vvp
(The Compiler)


↙


ram_vals.txt
(The Script/Program)





Key Takeaways:


Digital is the Generator: When you click "Export," Digital overwrites microprocessor.v. Any manual hacks in the code are lost unless you update the .dig file.

Hardcoded vs. Dynamic: ROM values are baked into the chip (hardcoded in .v). RAM values are read dynamically at startup ($readmemh).






2. Component Glossary

The microprocessor is built of three main subsystems. Here is what every part does.


The Address Generator (The Navigator)



PC (Program Counter)
Holds the address of the next instruction. It usually counts up by 1 (0, 1, 2...) to step through your program sequentially.



MAR (Memory Address Register)
Holds a specific address we want to look at. Unlike the PC (which just counts), the MAR can hold any random address (e.g., 9) to save or retrieve data.



Mux (Multiplexer)
The "Traffic Cop." It decides which address goes to Memory: the PC (for instructions) or the MAR (for data).





The Controller (The Brain)



IR (Instruction Register)
Holds the current command (Opcode) being executed (e.g., "STORE" or "ADD"). It tells the ROM what row to look at.



Step Register
Counts the micro-steps inside a single instruction. (e.g., Step 0: Fetch, Step 1: Execute).



ROM (Read-Only Memory)
The "Lookup Table." It takes the Instruction + Step and outputs a 14-bit binary code that controls every wire in the machine.





The Datapath / Brainless CPU (The Muscle)



ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)
The calculator. It performs math (ADD, SUB) and logic (AND) on the data.



Accumulator
The "Short-term Memory." It holds the result of the last calculation.



RAM (Random Access Memory)
The "Long-term Memory." It stores your program instructions AND your data variables.








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