Facing System Complexity in the Undergraduate Digital Lab

这个项目旨在更新数码设计的教学，让学生从第一次接触到这门学科开始就面对复杂系统的挑战。现代计算机设计的最大挑战是试图以一种快速而可靠的方式管理复杂性。现代硬件设计以扩展设计者在综合、模拟和测试方面的能力的工具为主。教授数码设计，甚至是它的基础知识，而不探索古典原理和现代方法，是不合时宜的。该项目将为已经包括计算机设计和模拟工具的本科生数字实验室增加适当的系统分析测试仪器。该提案要求提供资金，帮助购买六台低端逻辑分析仪和一台功能强大的分析仪，全部配备打印机。这种仪器是分析和调试除低速运行的琐碎电路之外的任何东西的唯一合适的工具。逻辑分析器不仅将用于支持项目设计，还将作为一系列课堂演示和实验作业的基础，这些作业将被记录下来，并提供给其他机构。

This project seeks to update the teaching of digital design by having students face the challenges of complex systems from their first exposure to the subject. The greatest challenge of modern computer design is trying to manage complexity in a quick and reliable fashion. Modern hardware design is dominated by tools that extend the designer's capabilities in synthesis, simulation, and test. Teaching digital design, even its basics, without exploring both classical principles and contemporary methods is anachronistic. This project will add proper test instrumentation for system analysis to an undergraduate digital laboratory that already includes computer design and simulation tools. The proposal requests funds to help purchase six low-end logic analyzers, and one more capable analyzer, all with printers. Such instruments are the only proper tool for analyzing and debugging anything beyond trivial circuits running a slow speeds. The logic analyzers will not only be used to support project design, but will for the basis for a series of lecture demonstrations and lab assignments that will be documented and available to other institutions.