Digital Design: With an Introduction to the Verilog HDL
Digital Design, fifth edition is a modern update of the classic authoritative text on digital design. This book teaches the basic concepts of digital design in a clear, accessible manner. The book presents the basic tools for the design of digital circuits and provides procedures suitable for a variety of digital applications.
Why Read This Book
You should read this if you want a clear, systematic grounding in digital logic and practical techniques for taking a design from Boolean equations to an HDL description ready for synthesis. You will learn classical minimization, synchronous design principles, and an approachable introduction to Verilog so you can prototype designs on PLDs/FPGA or reason about microcontroller hardware interfaces.
Who Will Benefit
Students and practicing engineers who need a thorough foundation in digital logic, finite-state machines, and basic Verilog to design, analyze, or verify digital circuits and FPGA/PLD implementations.
Level: Beginner — Prerequisites: Basic algebra and familiarity with binary number representation; high-school physics or introductory circuits is helpful but not required.
Key Takeaways
- Apply Boolean algebra and Karnaugh maps to simplify combinational logic expressions.
- Design and analyze common combinational building blocks (encoders, decoders, multiplexers, adders, ALUs).
- Design synchronous sequential circuits including flip-flops, registers, counters, and finite-state machines (Mealy and Moore).
- Write and simulate synthesizable Verilog at dataflow, behavioral, and structural/RTL levels.
- Understand timing issues, hazards, and techniques for clocked, hazard-free design suitable for FPGA/CPLD implementation.
Topics Covered
- Foundations: Number Systems, Codes, and Binary Arithmetic
- Boolean Algebra and Logic Gates
- Logic Minimization: Karnaugh Maps and Quine–McCluskey
- Combinational Logic Design (adders, multiplexers, decoders, arithmetic circuits)
- Synchronous Sequential Circuits: Flip-Flops, Registers, and Counters
- State Machines: Analysis and Design (Mealy & Moore) and State Minimization
- Timing, Hazards, and Clocking Discipline
- Memory, Programmable Logic, and MSI Devices
- Introduction to Verilog HDL: Syntax and Modeling Styles
- Verilog for Synthesis: RTL Design, Testbenches, and Simulation
- Design Methodology and Worked Design Examples
- Appendices: Tables, Boolean Identities, and Reference Material
Languages, Platforms & Tools
How It Compares
More focused on fundamental digital logic and classical design technique than Harris & Harris's Digital Design and Computer Architecture, and more Verilog-oriented than Brown & Vranesic's VHDL-centric texts.
