Practical Demonstration: Digital Electronics (1)

Part 1: Some useful information.

How digital electronics is presented in practice?

• In the form of integrated circuit (IC) Dual in Line (DIL) chips as shown above
• Digital circuits are wired inside the chip. Inputs, outputs and supply points are
then wired to pins where external circuit connections will be made
• How circuitry is wired inside the chip can be retrieved from the data sheet as
shown on the right above

How ICs are identified in practice?

• Each IC has a particular function which it performs (Above is an IC which

performs the AND function. It contain 4 of them
• The function of the IC is defined by a particular part number of the IC which is
printed on the top of the package
• Example of a part number could be that of the IC shown above which is:

74HC00

• First four figures (74HC) identify the logic family the IC belongs to. In
other words it define the type of components used to build up the
circuitry inside the IC – In this case the logic family is Complimentary
Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS), and MOSFETs are used to build
up the circuitry inside the chip (IC)
• The last two numbers (00) identify the function of the IC. In this case it
indicates the IC performs an AND function.
• To determine exactly the function of a chip it is necessary to obtain the
data sheet for the part number found on the IC
• As already said the above IC is of the dual in line type. Also it should
be said that the type is also called ‘Through Hole Type’. This is
because to install the chip on a circuit board holes have to be drilled to
make space where the chip is inserted. Then the pins are soldered to
the copper of the circuit board so that pins
are interconnected to the circuitry as
required. Other types available could be
‘Single in Line’ (uses through hole
technology) and ‘Surface Mount type’ which
are just mounted on the circuit board without
need of drilling any holes.

Subject: Electronics Lab (Digital) Page 1 of 9

 Some notes about tooling:

The logic probe:

The logic probe is a useful
tool used in testing logic
circuits. In analogue circuits
Probe supply we use the voltmeter to test
connectors the voltage levels found in
analogue circuits. In digital
circuits only two voltage
levels are used, the HI and
Mem/Pulse select the LO voltage levels. So,
& indicator there is no need to have an
instrument which indicates
Probe Tip Logic family select
(To be set on TTL) different levels of voltages.
Logic state An instrument which
indicators indicates just digital voltage
levels is sufficient.

The logic probe has two LED’s which indicate the HI (Red LED) or LO (Green
LED) digital voltage levels. Two crocodile clips are connected to the same
supply of the circuit under test (Red to +5V and Black to 0V). For testing we
just hold the logic probe as if it was a writing pen, and touch the pin of the IC
or the circuit connection where we need to check the logic state, with the tip of
the probe. According to which LED becomes ON we will know whether that
connection is at a HI or LO logic state.

There are two selector switches on the Logic probe. One switch is set
according to the type of digital IC’s we are using in the circuit. Types of IC’s
can be TTL or CMOS. These different types of IC’s operate at different
voltage levels. So we need to set the logic probe according to the IC’s used in
the circuit so that the correct voltage levels are sensed by the probe. The type
of ICs which we will be using in this demonstration are CMOS which however
work with TTL voltage levels, hence the switch should be set to TTL

A second selector switch is marked PULSE/MEMORY and has an associated

LED coloured AMBER or YELLOW. When set to MEMORY a logic HI state or
a Clock Pulse is memorized and shown by a continuous LED on. To reset
memory just cycle the switch From Memory to Pulse and back to Memory.

Subject: Electronics Lab (Digital) Page 2 of 9

The Digital Trainer:

This is the equipment where digital circuits will be built, analyzed and tested
during your practical lessons in Digital Electronics. An illustration of this
equipment is shown below. It is an ‘all-in-one’ piece of test equipment with an
area where we can build our experimental circuit; with availability of all the
supplies necessary for the circuit and test equipment needed to be connected;
with availability of all the inputs we need to feed into the circuit; and finally
with indicators we can use as outputs for our experimental circuits.

Supply Clock frequency

Hi-Lo Clock
connection adjuster
Frequency selector

On/off
Hi/Lo Logic inputs
switch Output indicators
Pulsed input
Circuit connection ports
switches
External
clock inputs

Supply connections
Bread-Board (for logic probe)

Operation of the Digital Trainer:

(1). Supply connection:

Through this connection, the digital trainer receives the dc supply. Special
care should be taken when connecting the supply to the trainer. The positive
is at the centre pin. The DC supply must be set to 6 volts dc. Please be sure
the supply has the correct polarity and is at the correct voltage level
before connecting to the Digital Trainer.

Subject: Electronics Lab (Digital) Page 3 of 9

(2). On/Off switch:

When this toggle switch is moved to the right, power is applied to the digital
trainer. A Red LED near the supply connection should light on to indicate
power is ON.

(3). The Bread-board:

On this board, components and wiring can be inserted to form the digital
circuit of the practical experiment. There are two bread boards available on
the trainer.

Please note the internal connections of the insertion hole banks:

(i). The Upper and lower banks of each bread-board have two separate lines
of insertion holes. Each of the lines is horizontally interconnected (with a
break in the middle).
(ii). The two insertion hole banks in the middle are vertically interconnected.
There is a break between each central bank to allow for integrated circuits to
be inserted.

(4). Digital inputs and outputs:

On the digital trainer there are a set of switches which are used as input
controls to the circuit in experiments. Two Red momentary switches produce
a pulse input which goes from LO to HI and back to LO (0-1-0). A bank of 8
dip switches on the right of the two momentary switches produce HI or LO
inputs to the circuitry on the bread board. In the Up position these switches
provide a logic 0, while in the down position the switches provide a logic 1.

A set of 8 Red LED’s are available on the digital trainer. These are used as
output indicators for the circuits in the experiments.

(5). Circuit connection ports:

Through these ports you can connect the circuit on the bread board to Supply,
Inputs, and Outputs. There is another connection port which provides a
square wave clock generated by the trainer. This clock is described further
below in these notes.

(6). Clock:

A built-in generator produces a square wave clock which can be utilized as

clock input for the logic circuit in experiment. The frequency of this clock can
be adjusted from an adjuster pot at the top right of the trainer. A sliding switch
on the left of the adjuster can be used to select LO or HI frequency as
desired. Output port for this clock is available on the connection port bank just
above the bread-board.

Subject: Electronics Lab (Digital) Page 4 of 9

(7). External Clock:

External clocks can be connected to the trainer via the connections available
on the top right hand side of the unit.

(8). Supply connections for the logic probe:

On the bottom right of the trainer there are two connections which provide a
5V supply for the logic probe. The logic probe is another test equipment used
to test digital circuits. It will be described further down in these notes.

Part 2: Practical demonstration – Build and test practical combinational

logic circuits.

(A). List of parts and equipment required:

Parts:

Part Number Description Qty

7404 Integrated circuit comprising 6 NOT gates 01
7408 Integrated circuit comprising 4 AND gates 01
7432 Integrated circuit comprising 4 OR gates 01

Equipment:

Description Qty
Digital trainer 01
AC/DC adaptor to power the trainer and circuits (through trainer) 01
Logic Probe (powered from trainer) 01

_________________________________

(B). IC Components data/pin connection information:

74HC04: NOT gates IC 74HC08: AND gates IC 74HC32: OR gates IC

Subject: Electronics Lab (Digital) Page 5 of 9

(C). Practical Exercise: A simple car warning circuit

The circuit shown above is a simple logic circuit which warns the driver of a
car should he forget the key inserted into the ignition switch or the side/head
lamps on while getting off the car. In the circuit above an ON or a ‘Door Open’
will be a logic 1

(a). Construct the circuit shown above on the breadboard found on the trainer.
Consult IC data on page 1 to check the pins required to be used to correctly
wire the circuit. As it can be noted, on the circuit diagrams there is no
indication where the supply should be connected for the circuit. It is important
however not to forget connecting the supply pins of every IC. Should this not
be done, the circuit will never work. From the information given on Page 5 it
can be concluded that Each IC should have pin 14 connected to +5V and pin
7 to 0V (GND).

(b). Circuit input conditions should simulated by the HI/LO ‘input’ switches
found on the trainer. So connect inputs A to D of the circuit above to 4 of the
HI/LO input sockets found on the trainer. Circuit output should be connected
to one of the ‘Output LEDs’ available on the trainer. By this you should be
able to monitor the condition produced by your circuit. LED on will indicate a
logic 1 or High state, while LED off will indicatea logic 0 or Low state.

(c). Now apply power to the circuit and then input the logic combinations to
the circuit according to the truth table below. Note the output Y of the circuit
for each input combination applied and then compile the truth table found on
next page, according to the outputs you get on the circuit Output LED

Note: LED on = logic 1 or ‘high’; LED off = logic 0 or ‘low’

Subject: Electronics Lab (Digital) Page 6 of 9

 Inputs Applied (*)
A B
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 1
0 1
0 1
0 1
1 0
1 0
1 0
1 0
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
(d). Now using the logic probe check the logic state at pin 6 of IC U1:B during
the following input combinations:
A = B = 0; C = D = 1
A = C = 0; B = D = 1
A = B = 1; C = D = 0
A=B=C=D=1
Subject: Electronics Lab (Digital)
Output
C D Y
0 0
0 1
1 0
1 1
0 0
0 1
1 0
1 1
0 0
0 1
1 0
1 1
0 0
0 1
1 0
1 1
LOGIC STATE = _________
LOGIC STATE = _________
LOGIC STATE = _________
LOGIC STATE = _________
Page 7 of 9
(D). Practical Exercise: A simple alarm system

The circuit shown above is a simple logic circuit which performs the function
of an alarm circuit monitoring a room which has a single door and a single
window. Provided the power is on and the alarm is armed, should the one or
both of the apertures be open, or the power line is cut, the alarm siren will
receive a logic 1 signal to start sounding. A logic 1 will be representing a door
or window open, Alarm power ON, and Alarm armed

(a). Construct the circuit shown above on the breadboard found on the trainer.
Consult IC data on page 1 to check the pins required to be used to correctly
wire the circuit. As it can be noted, on the circuit diagrams there is no
indication where the supply should be connected for the circuit. It is important
however not to forget connecting the supply pins of every IC. Should this not
be done, the circuit will never work. From the information given on Page 5 it
can be concluded that Each IC should have pin 14 connected to +5V and pin
7 to 0V (GND).

(b). Circuit input conditions should simulated by the HI/LO ‘input’ switches
found on the trainer. So connect inputs A to D of the circuit above to 4 of the
HI/LO input sockets found on the trainer. Circuit output should be connected
to one of the ‘Output LEDs’ available on the trainer. By this you should be
able to monitor the condition produced by your circuit. LED on will indicate a
logic 1 or High state, while LED off will indicatea logic 0 or Low state.

(c). Now apply power to the circuit and then input the logic combinations to
the circuit according to the truth table below. Note the output Y of the circuit
for each input combination applied and then compile the truth table found on
next page, according to the outputs you get on the circuit Output LED

Note: LED on = logic 1 or ‘high’; LED off = logic 0 or ‘low’

Subject: Electronics Lab (Digital) Page 8 of 9

 Inputs Applied (*)
A B
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
0 1
0 1
0 1
0 1
1 0
1 0
1 0
1 0
1 1
1 1
1 1
1 1
Output
C D Y
0 0
0 1
1 0
1 1
0 0
0 1
1 0
1 1
0 0
0 1
1 0
1 1
0 0
0 1
1 0
1 1

(d). Now using the logic probe check the logic state at pin 6 of IC U1:B during
the following input combinations:

A = B = 0; C = D = 1 LOGIC STATE = _________

A = C = 0; B = D = 1 LOGIC STATE = _________
A = B = 1; C = D = 0 LOGIC STATE = _________
A=B=C=D=1 LOGIC STATE = _________

Student Name: ________________________

Subject: Electronics Lab (Digital) Page 9 of 9