A Computer Design for Introducting Hardware and Software Concepts

Abstract

This paper describes a simple computer design and an associated full screen PC-based simulator used to teach basic hardware and software concepts in Introduction to Computer Engineering, a sophomore level course at Kansas State University. The culmination of the course is the presentation of a complete CPU which could be built from the SSI and MSI circuits studied in the course. The CPU design is simple enough to enable equations for a hardwired control unit to be displayed during simulation, yet powerful enough to introduce Assembly language programming using the same architecture.