Digital Systems are ubiquitous. The average consumer is often unaware to what extent he/she comes in contact with such devices. They are the "brains" of wristwatches, microwave ovens, automobiles, televisions, cameras and elevators to name but a few. This course gives the student the ability to design the electronic building blocks of devices like those named above. The bottom-up approach employed in the text then integrates successively more complex components toward the goal of building a rudimentary computer. Attention is also given to the newest advances in technology so that the student may be conversant in the latest concepts and jargon. The course includes a two hour weekly lab where students will actually build many of the devices studied in the lectures.

The primary objectives of this course are the following:
1. Compute using binary and hexadecimal arithmetic
2. Apply Boolean Algebra and Symbolic Logic to Circuit Design
3. Design Circuit Specifications to Implement Solutions to Practical Problems
4. Design and Minimize Combinational Circuits using Karnaugh Maps
5. Utilize Flip Flops to Design Sequential Circuits
6. Design Counters and other Circuits utilizing registers
7. Understand the Building Blocks of Computers, including Instruction Set Architecture, the CPU, Memory and I/O subsystems

Constantine "Conny" Roussos

Dr. Roussos is a Professor of Computer Science and has been at Lynchburg College since 1981. He formerly served as Director of College Computing Services and Chair of the Computer Science Department. Dr. Roussos received a B.A. degree in mathematics from Old Dominion University, an M.S. degree in mathematics from the College of William and Mary, and a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Virginia.

E-Mail: roussos@acavax.lynchburg.edu

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