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The Learning Circuit 52: Combinational Logic Devices

 

 

Things are starting to get complicated. In a previous episode, Karen talked about logic gates and digital logic. In this episode, Karen dives into the more complex, combinational logic devices: multiplexers, demultiplexers, encoders, and decoders.
Multiplexers and demultiplexers can be thought of as traffic controllers. They take their inputs and effectively “flip digital switches” in order to route the signals to various outputs. The main difference between the two is that multiplexers take multiple inputs and select which to route to a single output, while demultiplexers take a single input and select which of multiple outputs to route it to.
Encoders and decoders are used for more complex applications. They take one form of data and translate it into another form of data. Different varieties work with binary, decimal, binary-coded decimal (BCD), logic level, and 7-segment.

Have more information, or more questions about muxes, demuxes, encoders, or decoders? Post in the comments below!

Anonymous

  • This was a really great teaching video - am learning so much.  Assuming a QWERTY keyboard is a priority encoder, could it be used to drive a 7 segment LED lighting display to simulate  dot patterns of six dot binary braille code. For example, the typing the letter "a" would light only segment 1 as in 1 0 0 0 0 0 for six of the switch positions.  In lieu of lights , I would like to use haptic actuators to dynamically "print" braille directly to the skin in a wearable array of haptic actuators . Streaming dynamic braille directly to the skin would be great for first responders who often wear gloves and can read braille by sweeping fingertips over static displays. I think there should be a way to stream voice/text to braille directly to the shin analogous to sound streaming to the ear. Anybody interested or is this a crazy intractable idea?

  • Ha! I just took the Programmable Devices I: Programmable Logic from Xilinx which helped me understand this very topic. How fortuitous

    Clem

  • Good description of decoders, encoders, mux and demux.

     

    DAB