Experiment 2 Lab Manual

American International University- Bangladesh

Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
EEE 4219: Computer System Architecture Laboratory

Title: Computer Storage, Computer Memory Subsystem Design.

Introduction:

The objective of this lab is to learn the basics of computer storage and memory subsystem
design.

Theory and Methodology:

Floppy Disk Drive:

Floppy disk drives read and write data to a small, circular piece of metal-coated plastic
similar to an audio cassette tape.
The floppy disk drive (FDD) was invented at IBM by Alan Shugart in 1967. The first floppy
drives used an 8-inch disk (later called a "diskette" as it got smaller), which evolved into the
5.25-inch disk that was used on the first IBM Personal Computer in August 1981. The 5.25-
inch disk held 360 kilobytes compared to the 1.44 megabyte capacity of today's 3.5-inch
diskette.

Figure-1: Inside view of different parts of a floppy disk drive

Floppy Drive Components:
Read/Write Heads: Located on both sides of a diskette, they move together on the same
assembly. The heads are not directly opposite each other in an effort to prevent interaction
between write operations on each of the two media surfaces. The same head is used for
reading and writing, while a second, wider head is used for erasing a track just prior to it
being written. This allows the data to be written on a wider "clean slate," without interfering

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with the analog data on an adjacent track.
Drive Motor: A very small spindle motor engages the metal hub at the center of the diskette,
spinning it at either 300 or 360 rotations per minute (RPM).
Stepper Motor: This motor makes a precise number of stepped revolutions to move the
read/write head assembly to the proper track position. The read/write head assembly is
fastened to the stepper motor shaft
Mechanical Frame: A system of levers that opens the little protective window on the
diskette to allow the read/write heads to touch the dual-sided diskette media. An external
button allows the diskette to be ejected, at which point the spring-loaded protective window
on the diskette closes.
Circuit Board: Contains all of the electronics to handle the data read from or written to the diskette.
It also controls the stepper-motor control circuits used to move the read/write heads to each track,
as well as the movement of the read/write heads toward the diskette surface.

Figure-2: Floppy disk drive connections and cables

Hard Drive:
It’s the main location where all data is stored. Like an old-fashioned record player data is
recorded and retrieved by a magnetic head mounted on a movable arm.

Figure-3: A general Hard disk drive and its different parts

Components of a Hard Drive:
1) Head Actuator
2) Head Arm
3) Disk Platter
4) Chassis

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 Figure-4: Different Parts of Hard disk drive
CD-ROM:
1) It stands for Compact Disc-Read Only Memory
2) A CD-ROM is used to distribute information such as software, games, reference
material and more recently store information through a CD writer.

Characteristics of CD-ROM:
1) CD-ROM receives its' power from the Large pin connector.
2) CD-ROM audio lead is connected to the computers sound card
3) IDE is the most common type of CD-ROM interface controller.
4) The CD-ROM is connected to the motherboard via the primary or secondary
controllers.
5) 650-750Mb of information is stored on a CD-ROM

Figure-4: Different ports and connection wires of a CD-ROM

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Components of a CD-ROM:

1) Laser- Device used to project a beam of light into a specified area.

2) Pits- Small indentation in a CD’s reflective layer.
3) Lands- Flat areas on the reflective layer of a CD.
4) Servomotor- Device that positions a reflective mirror over a specified area on a CD
5) Photo Detector- Sensor that reads a light beam after it has been reflected off the CD
and changes the light signal into an electronic signal.

Memory Subsystem Design

The main memory is the central storage unit in a computer system. It is a relatively large and
a fast memory, used to store programs and data during the computer operation. The
principal technology used for the main memory is based on semiconductor integrated
circuits.

Random Access Memory (RAM):

Integrated circuit RAM chips are available in two possible operating modes, Static and
Dynamic. The static RAM consists essentially of internal flip-flops that store the binary
information. The stored information remains valid as long as power is applied to the unit.
The dynamic RAM stores the binary information in the form of electric charges that are
applied to capacitors. The capacitors are provided inside the chip by MOS transistors. The
stored charge on the capacitors tends to discharge with time and the capacitors must be
periodically recharged by refreshing the dynamic memory. Refreshing is done by cycling
through the words every few milliseconds to restore the decaying charge. The dynamic RAM
offers reduced power consumption and larger storage capacity in a single memory chip. The
static RAM is easier to use and has shorter read and write cycles.

Read Only Memory (ROM):

Most of the main memory in a general-purpose computer is made up of RAM integrated

circuit chips, but a portion of the memory may be constructed with ROM chips. Originally,
RAM was used to refer to a random-access memory, but now it is used to designate a
read/write memory to distinguish it from a read-only memory, although ROM is also
random access. RAM is used for storing programs that are permanently resident in the
computer and for tables of constants that do not change in value once the production of the
computer is completed.

Among other things, the ROM portion of main memory is needed for storing an initial
program called bootstrap loader. The bootstrap loader is a program whose function is to
start the computer software operating when power is turned on. The contents of ROM
remain unchanged after power is turned off and on again. The startup of a computer
consists of turning the power on and starting the execution of an initial program. Thus when
power is turned on, the hardware of the computer sets the program counter to the first
address of the bootstrap loader. The bootstrap program loads a portion of the operating

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system from disk to main memory and control is then transferred to the operating system,
which prepares the computer for general use.

RAM and ROM chips are available in a variety of sizes. If the memory needed for the
computer is larger than the capacity of one chip, it is necessary to combine a number of
chips to form the required memory size. To demonstrate the chip interconnection, we will
show an example of a 1024X8memory constructed with 128X8 RAM chips and 512X8 ROM
chips.

Figure-5: Main Memory chip and its parts

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Memory Address Map:

Figure-6: Memory Address Map

The designer of a computer system must calculate the amount of memory required for the
particular application and assign it to either RAM or ROM. The interconnection between
memory and processor is then established from knowledge of the size of memory needed
and the type of RAM and ROM chips available. The addressing of memory can be
established by means of a table that specifies the memory address assigned to each chip.
The table, called a memory address map, is a pictorial representation of assigned address
space for each chip in the system.

To demonstrate with a particular example, assume that a computer system needs 512bytes
of RAM and 512 bytes of ROM.

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 Figure-7: Connection of memory to CPU

Questions for report writing:

1. Design a memory subsystem of 1kB RAM and 1kB ROM.

References:
[1] M. MORRIS MANO, Computer System Architecture, 3rd edition
[2] Null and Lobur, Jones & Bartlett, Essentials of Computer Organization and Architecture,
1st edition

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