An-Najah Staff

In this paper, we present an educational processor developed at An-Najah National University. This processor has been designed to be a powerful supplement for computer architecture and organization courses offered at the university. The project is intended to develop an easily applicable methodology by which students get a valuable experience in designing and implementing complete processor with simple readily available off-the-shelf components. The proposed methodology is beneficial to computer engineering students enrolled at universities, specially in developing countries, where advanced laboratory equipments are rarely available.  The design philosophy is to build a general-purpose processor using simple and wide spread integrated circuits. This methodology includes: defining an instruction set, datapath layout, ALU implementation, memory interface, controller design and implementation. For testing and evaluation purposes, a debugging tool is also built and implemented to serially connect the processor to a personal computer. In this paper, we present the methods and components used in the design and implementation phases and the tools developed to complete the design process. This methodology has shown that students enrolled in the computer architecture course get the full experience in processor design without the need for advanced laboratory equipments.  The components used are cost efficient and methods proposed allow students to work at home, hence, this methodology has proven to be cost effective and yet very educational.

 This study presents a systematic technique for building processors by using off-the-shelf components. The main objective of this methodology is to introduce computer engineering, electrical engineering and computer science students, in developing countries, to all phases of CPU design using very primitive ICs and home made tool kits. Using this technique, students enrolled in processor design lab can design and build processors for a defined instruction set with readily available components at minimal cost. The proposed methodology has been implemented in the computer engineering department at An-Najah National University and has proven to be efficient in teaching computer architecture and processor design, as well as boosting computer-engineering students’ self-confidence without requiring them to use very advanced laboratory equipment. Nevertheless, the sole purpose of this technique and the objective of building this microprocessor is pure educational and is not to introduce a new methodology for building microprocessors for commercial purposes. In this study, we will present our methodology by giving an instruction set example, then describing the design and implementation steps followed. In addition, we also discuss the primitive components used to build the datapath, the controller and the software tools used in both the implementation and testing phases. We will show that the proposed methodology is very effective in providing students with the experience of microprocessor design without the need for advanced and expensive kits and devices.