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Subelement E7

PRACTICAL CIRCUITS

Section E7A

Digital circuits: digital circuit principles and logic circuits: classes of logic elements; positive and negative logic; frequency dividers; truth tables

Which of the following is a bistable circuit?

  • An "AND" gate
  • An "OR" gate
  • Correct Answer
    A flip-flop
  • A clock

A clock is a device that is periodically switching states, and so is not stable because its output does not remain in a particular state. The outputs of AND and OR gates immediately reflect the inputs of their corresponding circuits, and so are not considered stable circuits. A flip-flop can retain its output state(s) after one or more of its inputs have changed, and so is stable in either of its binary states, making it a bistable circuit.

To help you remember: a flip-flop is stable in two (bi-) different states.

*Silly hint - you wear a pair (bi) of flip-flops.

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How many output level changes are obtained for every two trigger pulses applied to the input of a T flip-flop circuit?

  • None
  • One
  • Correct Answer
    Two
  • Four

In this case, it is assumed that the T input of the T flip-flop is asserted, since de-asserting the T input will prevent the output level from changing. The output level of a T flip-flop changes state with the next clock input. So, the output level changes every time the clock, or trigger, pulses. Therefore, if the trigger pulses twice, the output level changes twice.

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Which of the following can divide the frequency of a pulse train by 2?

  • An XOR gate
  • Correct Answer
    A flip-flop
  • An OR gate
  • A multiplexer

Answer An XOR gate is wrong, because an XOR gate merely performs an exclusive OR operation on two or more inputs.

Answer OR gate is wrong, because an OR gate merely performs a logical OR operation on two or more inputs.

Answer A multiplexer is wrong, because a multiplexer selects one of several possible inputs according to some selector signals.

Answer A flip-flop is correct. Division by two of a pulse train is accomplished by attaching the pulse train to the flip flop's clock, and feeding back the logical negation of the flip flop output to its input.

Suppose the flip flop output starts out at logical 1. On the rising edge of the next pulse presented at the flip flop's clock input, the flip flop output toggles to logical 0. It remains at this value as the pulse falls back to 0. On the rising edge of the following pulse the flip flop output flips back to logical 1. Because the flip flop's output changes half as frequently as its clock input changes, we say that it divides the input frequency by 2.

See a tutorial on frequency division for illustrations.

Hint: You have 2 flip-flops.

Another silly hint: Thru-hikers sometimes Flip-Flop dividing the trail in two.

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How many flip-flops are required to divide a signal frequency by 4?

  • 1
  • Correct Answer
    2
  • 4
  • 8

A Flip-flop takes in a signal. The signal is output as either Q or Not Q. By feeding the Not Q back in, the flip-flop divides the frequency by 2. To divide the frequency by 4 you need 2 flip-flops.

Another way to think of this is that you need to be able to count four numbers in binary to divide by 4:

  • 0 = b00
  • 1 = b01
  • 2 = b10
  • 3 = b11

Each flip-flop stores one bit, and you needed two digits (bits) to do that thus you need two flip-flops.

Hint: You have 2 flip-flop shoes.

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Which of the following is a circuit that continuously alternates between two states without an external clock?

  • Monostable multivibrator
  • J-K flip-flop
  • T flip-flop
  • Correct Answer
    Astable multivibrator

An astable multivibrator consists of two amplifying stages connected in a positive feedback loop by two capacitive-resistive coupling networks. It continually switches from one state to the other.

Multivibrator circuits are frequently used in two-state devices. The question asks about a circuit that continuously alternates without an external clock.

We can immediately eliminate both flip-flop answers because flip-flops change state on input, and the question specifies no external clock. Flip-flops are bistable multivibrators.

We can eliminate "monostable multivibrator" because these circuits are stable in one state: they change state on input and then return to their stable state.

It's enough to simply examine the words used. The question asks for a circuit that continuously changes. This means that it has zero stable states. "Astable" means "no stable", "monostable" means "single stable", and flip-flops are "bistable", or "two-stable."

Alt Hint: 'Ast' is able to alternate two states

*astable: (electronics) Capable of oscillating between two states. An astable multivibrator is also called a free-running multivibrator (ARRL Handbook 1999 7-14)

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What is a characteristic of a monostable multivibrator?

  • Correct Answer
    It switches momentarily to the opposite binary state and then returns, after a set time, to its original state
  • It is a clock that produces a continuous square wave oscillating between 1 and 0
  • It stores one bit of data in either a 0 or 1 state
  • It maintains a constant output voltage, regardless of variations in the input voltage

A Multivibrator is an electronic circuit used to implement a variety of simple two-state systems such as oscillators, timers and flip-flops. There are three types, astable, monostable and bistable.

A Monostable Multivibrator is an electronic circuit in which one of the states is stable, but the other state is unstable (transient). A trigger pulse causes the circuit to enter the unstable state. After entering the unstable state, the circuit will return to the stable state after a set time. Such a circuit is useful for creating a timing period of fixed duration in response to some external event. This circuit is also known as a one shot.

Source: Wikipedia - Multivibrator

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What logical operation does a NAND gate perform?

  • It produces a logic "0" at its output only when all inputs are logic "0"
  • It produces a logic "1" at its output only when all inputs are logic "1"
  • It produces a logic "0" at its output if some but not all of its inputs are logic "1"
  • Correct Answer
    It produces a logic "0" at its output only when all inputs are logic "1"

The name of a NAND gate indicates it has the effective function of an AND gate followed by a NOT gate. The NOT gate output is the inverse of the input. The AND gate provides an output logic "1" only when both of the inputs are logic "1". So, adding the NOT gate creates the inverse behavior, and the output is logic "0" only when both of the inputs are logic "1".

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What logical operation does an OR gate perform?

  • Correct Answer
    It produces a logic "1" at its output if any or all inputs are logic "1"
  • It produces a logic "0" at its output if all inputs are logic "1"
  • It only produces a logic "0" at its output when all inputs are logic "1"
  • It produces a logic "1" at its output if all inputs are logic "0"

A logical OR is different from the way we commonly use the word "or" in English.

In English we use "or" as one or the other. In formal logic, that is called an "exclusive or" or XOR.

In logic OR is true if either or both are true.

Memory aid for this answer: "Or" = "any or all"

A silly HINT: Correct answer has the word, “or” as does the question.

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What is a truth table?

  • A table of logic symbols that indicate the high logic states of an op-amp
  • A diagram showing logic states when the digital device's output is true
  • Correct Answer
    A list of inputs and corresponding outputs for a digital device
  • A table of logic symbols that indicates the low logic states of an op-amp

A truth table is a mathematical table used in logic to compute the functional values of logical expressions on each of their functional arguments, that is, on each combination of values taken by their logical variables. In particular, truth tables can be used to tell whether a propositional expression is true for all legitimate input values, that is, logically valid.

In other words, a truth table is a table composed of rows and columns, which express the corresponding output to each of the possible combinations of inputs.

Source: Enderton, 2001

Hint: It's a TRUTH DEVICE (only answer with device, that's the truth ! )

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What is the name for logic which represents a logic "1" as a high voltage?

  • Reverse Logic
  • Assertive Logic
  • Negative logic
  • Correct Answer
    Positive Logic

Positive logic is where the "1" state is defined as having a MORE positive voltage than the "0" state.

Negative logic is where the "1" state is defined as having a MORE negative voltage than the "0" state.

"When a circuit requires logic 1 to operate, engineers may refer to this condition as positive logic. Thus, the more positive voltage causes the action to take place. On the other hand, if a circuit requires a logic 0 to cause action, this type circuit is referred to as negative logic. There is nothing negative or positive about these various circuits. The notation simply provides a shorthand that tells engineers and users whether a logic 1 or a logic 0 causes an action." The Digital I/O Handbook, Chapter 1 Logic Principles, Tom O'Hanlan and Jon Titus

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What is the name for logic which represents a logic "0" as a high voltage?

  • Reverse Logic
  • Assertive Logic
  • Correct Answer
    Negative logic
  • Positive Logic

"When a circuit requires logic 1 to operate, engineers may refer to this condition as positive logic. Thus, the more positive voltage causes the action to take place. On the other hand, if a circuit requires a logic 0 to cause action, this type circuit is referred to as negative logic. There is nothing negative or positive about these various circuits. The notation simply provides a shorthand that tells engineers and users whether a logic 1 or a logic 0 causes an action." The Digital I/O Handbook, Chapter 1 Logic Principles, Tom O'Hanlan and Jon Titus

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What is an SR or RS flip-flop?

  • A speed-reduced logic device with high power capability
  • Correct Answer
    A set/reset flip-flop whose output is low when R is high and S is low, high when S is high and R is low, and unchanged when both inputs are low
  • A speed-reduced logic device with very low voltage operation capability
  • A set/reset flip-flop that toggles whenever the T input is pulsed, unless both inputs are high

The SR stands for Set/Reset so you can eliminate choices A and C. An SR flip-flop has no T input (but a T flip-flop does) so you can eliminate choice D. That leaves B.

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What is a JK flip-flop?

  • Correct Answer
    A flip-flop similar to an RS except that it toggles when both J and K are high
  • A flip-flop utilizing low power, low temperature Joule-Kelvin devices
  • A flip-flop similar to a D flip-flop except that it triggers on the negative clock edge
  • A flip-flop originally developed in Japan and Korea which has very low power consumption

For this question you just have to know that the JK flip-flop is a variation on the RS flip-flop.

The R and S stand for Set and Reset inputs to a flip-flop; however, the J and K inputs are just named by random consecutive letters of the alphabet.

The above is true for the purpose of answering the question, but the another distinction between the RS and JK flip flop lies in the fact that the RS flip flop is an Asynchronous device that does not involve a clock signal and the JK flip flop is a Synchronous device that involves a clock signal to sample the state of the inputs only on the active clock level.

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What is a D flip-flop?

  • Correct Answer
    A flip-flop whose output takes on the state of the D input when the clock signal transitions from low to high
  • A differential class D amplifier used as a flip-flop circuit
  • A dynamic memory storage element
  • A flip-flop whose output is capable of both positive and negative voltage excursions

The D flip-flop is widely used. It is also known as a "data" or "delay" flip-flop. Read more

A D flip flop changes its output whenever the clock goes from low (0) to high (1). Any changes to the input while the clock signal is unchanged or transitioning from high to low are not reflected in the D flip flop's output.

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