Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Technology => Topic started by: Raghavendra on 21/04/2009 11:54:43
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How the IC works on the machine, well is it by analog or by Digital process
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can u be more clear.
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Means how will IC work in machines, can we make run through Analog or Digital process
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Guessing, I would say one has to consider various levels of operation stacked on each other.
Switching on the PC, the chip starts vibrating at a certain frequency[Clock frequency] ready to accept data in and out according to the rules of the chip as it was manufactured.Various chips vibrate at different freqencies on the motherboard and other devices, and have different rules, but through interfaces being able to communicate via each other, leaving you with a usable program output on the screen.
At it's very basic level, I would say it's Analog, look at the wave, it's not 100% square. The zeros & ones is the next level making it digital, thereafter the programming using the zeros & ones and so on.Basic programming like BIOSES 1st loaded....
Startup-BIOSES of all devices loaded-Main OS-Various other programs running.
The chip's best friend is memory, and a stable PSU.
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Uhh thanks.. i got it
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At it's very basic level, I would say it's Analog, look at the wave, it's not 100% square. .
Very few fast logic circuits use 'square' waveforms. If they do, then they could be working faster.
Digital control took over from analog may years ago for most applications. You would not believe the problems associated with running analog control circuits. We are well shot of them.
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Ha, sadly there is some truth in what you say. But having spent most of my life in analogue and memory chip design I can vouch that there is still a huge amount of analogue design that is a vital part of the fundamental building blocks of digital circuits. Also sadly, I have interviewed degree qualified electronic engineers who do not know basic electronic engineering and one who did not know Ohm's law!
With shrinking geometries (below 90nm) even simple logic is problematic although the sophisticated design tools shield logic designers from many of the issues. But someone has to think about it. Most logic design is done at a sufficiently high level now that it is akin to writing software (but in Verilog or VHDL) but it all relies on someone having designed the logic cells (relatively easy) or the RAM structures (can be hard - especially DRAM) for them. Then there is the interface to our analogue world. A-D and D-A converters can be VERY challenging depending on the required spec. Someone has to design them on process technologies that are subject to continual change.
It is interesting to look at the different challenges. Analogue design is demanding engineering which needs a lot of inventiveness and thought even with just a few transistors. Digital design works with millions of transistors, but at a high level; the biggest problem for the engineer is managing the complexity of the logic and being very thorough with the verification.
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Completly confused, how about Digital
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I don't really understand what you were asking in your original question. Are you asking about the IC in the picture, IC's in general, how to make an IC or how to use an IC?
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Completly confused, how about Digital
Nearly all signal processing and control uses digital techniques. BUT, as Graham.d says, the signals which are passed around are as fast and as low level as they can get away with (to produce speed and low power dissipation). This demands that the signals are passed around using sophisticated analogue techniques (you have to look at a 'rounded / analogue-looking signal at the right time in its waveform to be sure of its digital value). The info and the processes are digital, though.
Still confused?