The Fetch, Decode, Execute Cycle
The Fetch, Decode, Execute cycle is paramount to the functioning of a microprocessor. In this article I'll describe the Fetch, Decode, Execute cycle simplified to its bare-bones in a highly simplified fictitious microprocessor. More ...
AMD's Phenom Processor
AMD released the first Phenom processor in 2007. Unlike Intel's Core 2 Quad processors, which are a multi-chip module (MCM) design, AMD's Phenom processors had all cores on the same silicon die. More ...
Inductors in DC Circuits
An inductor is constructed with a coil of wire. When connected to a voltage source, an inductor resists a change in current flow as it stores energy in its magnetic field, and it can return that energy to the circuit if desired. More ...
Analog to Digital Convertion with a Microcontroller
Analog-to-digital conversion (or A/D conversion), is an electronic process that converts a continuously variable signal into a digital signal (expressed as a string of 1s and 0s). More ...
Microprocessor Registers
To a large extent the operation of a microprocessor involves loading, transferring, and manipulating the contents of registers. In this article you learn about the functions, and purposes of the register set of the Intel 8086 microprocessor. More ...
Basic Computer Architecture
Basic computer architecture refers to the structure of a computer system and comprises its hardware, firmware, and software. Hardware consists of the physical components in computer architecture. The main hardware components of the computer architecture include the CPU, memory, and bus. More ...
Using The I2C Bus
The I2C bus is used for communications between individual integrated circuits located on the same PCB. The I2C protocol supports multi-master, multi-slave communication, which means you can add a lot of functionality to your design. More ...
Expanding the Resources of Microcontrollers
In some cases it is possible that the internal resources of a microcontroller are insufficient. The solution to these situations is to add external components by creating an expanded microcontroller structure. More ...
Microcontroller's Parallel I/O System
The most common way for microcontrollers to interact with the outside world is the The digital I/O lines. More ...
The Many Processes of Silicon Wafer Manufacturing
A silicon wafer is a thin, circular disc used in the manufacture of integrated circuits and semiconductors. The silicon wafer manufacturing process is interesting. More ...
CPU Process Scheduling
CPU scheduling is the basis of multiprogrammed operating systems. By switching the CPU among processes, the operating system can make the computer more productive. More ...
Intel's Core i7 Processors
Core i7 is a family of Intel quad core processors, that is, they have four processors on a single silicon chip. All four processor cores and all memory caches, including a 64K L1 cache, a 256K L2 cache, and a shared L3 cache are located on one chip. The memory is also located on the same chip. More ...