The Worst Ever : UCLA CS M152B : Computer Architecture Processor Design Lab
6 hours of class/week
40 hours in the lab/week ( NO JOKE)
this is not your intro cs class.
To understand how complex it is.
Step 1. Design an ALU ( algorithm logic unit) using transistors, wires, gates, at the circuit level which takes into account a 16 instruction set.
Step 2. Design a single cycle datapath using the ALU implemented in step 1.
Step 3. Once step 2 is understood, convert it into a multi-cycle datapath.
Step 4. Upload the datapath onto the actucal VHDL circuitboard and test it using the actual breadboard.
Step 5. You have to test your datapath using actual programs, so you need to write the programs, but you can't use a pre-defined language, so you have to make your own compiler. So uh, write a compiler
Step 6. Once the compiler is written write an assembly to hex converter since the board only understands hex code.
Step 7. Write your actual assembly programs using your own defined assembly instruction set.
Step 8. Test your assembly code converted to hex into the breadboard that was downloaded with your multi-cycle datapath implementation.
Step 9. Cross your fingers hard.
Step 10. Failed? Debug in this order : assembly test program, assembly to hex converter, compiler, multi-cycle datapath, ALU
Step 11. Run extensive testing(extensive is really extensive)
Step 12. 300 hours later, once you magically get to this unreachable step, write a 100 page report.(i'm not joking)
4 unit class
