Construct a Fashionable Laptop from First Ideas: From Nand to Tetris (Challenge-Centered Course)

About this Course

What you’ll obtain:

On this project-centered course* you’ll construct a contemporary pc system, from the bottom up. We’ll divide this fascinating journey into six hands-on tasks that can take you from developing elementary logic gates during creating a totally functioning common function pc. Within the course of, you’ll be taught – in essentially the most direct and constructive approach – how computer systems work, and the way they’re designed. What you’ll want: It is a self-contained course: all of the data crucial to reach the course and construct the pc system will probably be given as a part of the training expertise. Due to this fact, we assume no earlier pc science or engineering data, and all learners are welcome aboard. You will have no bodily supplies, since you’ll construct the pc by yourself PC, utilizing a software-based {hardware} simulator, similar to actual computer systems are designed by pc engineers within the area. The {hardware} simulator, in addition to different software program instruments, will probably be equipped freely after you enroll within the course. Course format: The course consists of six modules, every comprising a sequence of video lectures, and a undertaking. You will have about 2-3 hours to look at every module’s lectures, and about 5-10 hours to finish every one of many six tasks. The course might be accomplished in six weeks, however you’re welcome to take it at your individual tempo. You possibly can watch a TED speak about this course by Googling “nand2tetris TED speak”. *About Challenge-Centered Programs: Challenge-centered programs are designed that can assist you full a personally significant real-world undertaking, together with your teacher and a group of learners with related objectives offering steerage and ideas alongside the way in which. By actively making use of new ideas as you be taught, you’ll grasp the course content material extra effectively; you’ll additionally get a head begin on utilizing the abilities you acquire to make constructive modifications in your life and profession. Whenever you full the course, you’ll have a completed undertaking that you just’ll be proud to make use of and share.

SKILLS YOU WILL GAIN

• Logic Gate
• Laptop Structure
• Meeting Languages
• {Hardware} Description Language (HDL)

Syllabus – What you’ll be taught from this course

Content material Score97%(16,851 scores)

WEEK

1

1 hour to finish

Introduction

Course introduction and overview, the roles of abstraction and implementation in methods design, the highway forward.

7 hours to finish

Boolean Capabilities and Gate Logic

We’ll begin with a quick introduction of Boolean algebra, and learn the way Boolean capabilities might be bodily carried out utilizing logic gates. We’ll then discover ways to specify gates and chips utilizing a {Hardware} Description Language (HDL), and easy methods to simulate the behaviour of the ensuing chip specs utilizing a {hardware} simulator. This background will set the stage for Challenge 1, through which you’ll construct, simulate, and check 15 elementary logic gates. The chipset that you’ll construct this module will probably be later used to assemble the pc’s Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) and reminiscence system. This will probably be completed in modules 2 and three, respectively.

1 hour to finish

Basic Course Info

Basic Course Info

WEEK

2

6 hours to finish

Boolean Arithmetic and the ALU

Utilizing the chipset that we’ve constructed within the earlier module, we’ll now proceed to construct a household of adders — chips designed so as to add numbers. We’ll then take an enormous step ahead and construct an Arithmetic Logic Unit. The ALU, which is designed to carry out a complete set of arithmetic and logical operations, is the pc’s calculating mind. Later within the course we’ll use this ALU because the centerpiece chip from which we’ll construct the pc’s Central Processing Unit, or CPU. Since all these chips function on binary numbers (0’s and 1’s), we’ll begin this module with a common overview of binary arithmetic, and solely then delve into constructing the ALU.

WEEK

3

7 hours to finish

Reminiscence

Having constructed the pc’s ALU, this module we flip to constructing the pc’s major reminiscence unit, also referred to as Random Entry Reminiscence, or RAM. This will probably be completed step by step, going bottom-up from elementary flip-flop gates to one-bit registers to n-bit registers to a household of RAM chips. In contrast to the pc’s processing chips, that are based mostly on combinational logic, the pc’s reminiscence logic requires a clock-based sequential logic. We’ll begin with an summary of this theoretical background, after which transfer on to construct our reminiscence chipset.

WEEK

4

8 hours to finish

Machine Language

A critically necessary facet of constructing a brand new pc system is designing the low-level machine language, or instruction set, with which the pc might be instructed to do numerous issues. Because it seems, this may be completed earlier than the pc itself is definitely constructed. For instance, we are able to write a Java program that emulates the yet-to-be-built pc, after which use it to emulate the execution of packages written within the new machine language. Such experiments can provide us an excellent appreciation of the naked bone “feel and look” of the brand new pc, and result in selections which will properly change and enhance each the {hardware} and the language designs. Taking an analogous strategy, on this module we assume that the Hack pc and machine language have been constructed, and write some low-level packages utilizing the Hack machine language. We’ll then use a equipped CPU Emulator (a pc program) to check and execute our packages. This expertise will provide you with a style of low-level programming, in addition to a stable hands-on overview of the Hack pc platform.