ECE 301 Digital Electronics
Multiplexers, Decoders and Encoders
(Lecture #16)
The slides included herein were taken from the materials accompanying
Fundamentals of Logic Design, 6th Edition, by Roth and Kinney,
and were used with permission from Cengage Learning.
Multiplexers
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Multiplexers
A multiplexer has
2n data inputs
n control inputs
1 output
A multiplexer routes (or connects) the selected
data input to the output.
The value of the control inputs determines the
data input that is selected.
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Multiplexers
Data
inputs
Z = A.I0 + A.I1
Control
input
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Multiplexers
A B Z
0 0 I0
0 1 I1
1 0 I2
1 20 1 1 I3
2
m0 = A'.B'
MSB LSB m1 = A'.B
m2 = A.B'
m3 = A.B
Z = A.B'.I0 + A'.B.I1 + A.B'.I2 + A.B.I3
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Multiplexers
A B C Z
0 0 0 I0 m0
0 0 1 I1 m1
0 1 0 I2 m2
0 1 1 I3 m3
1 0 0 I4 m4
1 0 1 I5 m5
1 1 0 I6 m6
20
22 1 1 1 I7 m7
MSB LSB
Z = A.B'.C'.I0 + A'.B'.C.I1 + A'.B.C'.I2 + A'.B.C.I3 +
A.B'.C'.I0 + A.B'.C.I1 + A'.B.C'.I2 + A.B.C.I3
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Multiplexers
20
2n-1
Z = [Link]
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Decoders
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Decoders
A decoder has
n inputs
2n outputs
n
A decoder selects one of 2 outputs by
decoding the binary value on the n inputs.
The decoder generates all of the minterms of
the n input variables.
Exactly one output will be active for each
combination of the inputs.
What does active mean?
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Decoders
Z0
A
2-to-4 Z1
Decoder Zi = mi
msb Z2
B
Z3
active-high output
A B Z0 Z1 Z2 Z3
0 0 1 0 0 0 m0
0 1 0 1 0 0 m1
1 0 0 0 1 0 m2
1 1 0 0 0 1 m3
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Decoders
Z0
A
2-to-4 Z1
Decoder Zi = (mi)' = Mi
msb Z2
B
Z3
active-low output
A B Z0 Z1 Z2 Z3
0 0 0 1 1 1 M0
0 1 1 0 1 1 M1
1 0 1 1 0 1 M2
1 1 1 1 1 0 M3
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Decoders
msb
3-to-8
Decoder
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Decoder with Enable
A Z0
2-to-4
B Decoder Z1
with
Z2
Enable
En Z3
active-high enable
En A B Z0 Z1 Z2 Z3
1 0 0 1 0 0 0
1 0 1 0 1 0 0
enabled
1 1 0 0 0 1 0
1 1 1 0 0 0 1
disabled 0 x x 0 0 0 0
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Decoder with Enable
A Z0
2-to-4
B Decoder Z1
with
Z2
Enable
En Z3
active-low enable
En A B Z0 Z1 Z2 Z3
0 0 0 1 0 0 0
0 0 1 0 1 0 0
enabled
0 1 0 0 0 1 0
0 1 1 0 0 0 1
disabled 1 x x 0 0 0 0
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Encoders
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Encoders
An encoder has
2n inputs
n outputs
Outputs the binary value of the selected
(or active) input.
Performs the inverse operation of a decoder.
Issues
What if more than one input is active?
What if no inputs are active?
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Encoders
Y0
A
Y1 4-to-2
Encoder
Y2
B
Y3
Y0 Y1 Y2 Y3 A B
1 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 0 0 1
0 0 1 0 1 0
0 0 0 1 1 1
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Priority Encoders
If more than one input is active, the higher-order
input has priority over the lower-order input.
The higher value is encoded on the output
A valid indicator, d, is included to indicate whether or
not the output is valid.
Output is invalid when no inputs are active
d=0
Output is valid when at least one input is active
d=1
Why is the valid indicator needed?
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Priority Encoders
msb
3-to-8
Priority
Encoder
Valid bit
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Circuit Design using Multiplexers
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n
Using a 2 -input Multiplexer
Use a 2n-input multiplexer to realize a logic circuit for
a function with 2n minterms.
n = # of control inputs = # of variables in the function
Each minterm of the function can be mapped to a
data input of the multiplexer.
For each row in the truth table, for the function,
where the output is 1, set the corresponding data
input of the multiplexer to 1.
That is, for each minterm in the minterm expansion of the
function, set the corresponding input of the multiplexer to 1.
Set the remaining inputs of the multiplexer to 0.
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n
Using an 2 -input Mux
Example:
Using an 8-to-1 multiplexer, design a logic circuit
to realize the following Boolean function
F(A,B,C) = m(2, 3, 5, 6, 7)
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n
Using an 2 -input Mux
Example:
Using an 8-to-1 multiplexer, design a logic circuit
to realize the following Boolean function
F(A,B,C) = m(1, 2, 4)
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(n-1)
Using an 2 -input Multiplexer
Use a 2(n-1)-input multiplexer to realize a logic circuit
for a function with 2n minterms.
n 1 = # of control inputs; n = # of variables in function
Group the rows of the truth table, for the function, into
2(n-1) pairs of rows.
Each pair of rows represents a product term of (n 1)
variables.
Each pair of rows is mapped to one data input of the mux.
Determine the logical function of each pair of rows in
terms of the remaining variable.
If the remaining variable, for example, is x, then the
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(n-1)
Using an 2 -input Mux
Example: F(x,y,z) = m(1, 2, 6, 7)
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(n-1)
Using an 2 -input Mux
Example: F(A,B,C,D) = m(1,3,4,11,1215)
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(n-2)
Using a 2 -input Mux
A similar design approach can be implemented
using a 2(n-2)-input multiplexer.
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Circuit Design using Decoders
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Using an n-output Decoder
Use an n-output decoder to realize a logic circuit for a
function with n minterms.
Each minterm of the function can be mapped to an
output of the decoder.
For each row in the truth table, for the function, where
the output is 1, sum (or OR) the corresponding
outputs of the decoder.
That is, for each minterm in the minterm expansion of the
function, OR the corresponding outputs of the decoder.
Leave remaining outputs of the decoder unconnected.
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Using an n-output Decoder
Example:
Using a 3-to-8 decoder, design a logic circuit to
realize the following Boolean function
F(A,B,C) = m(2, 3, 5, 6, 7)
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Using an n-output Decoder
Example:
Using two 2-to-4 decoders, design a logic circuit
to realize the following Boolean function
F(A,B,C) = m(0, 1, 4, 6, 7)
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Hierarchical Design
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Hierarchical Design
Several issues arise when designing large
multiplexers and decoders (as 2-level circuits).
Number of logic gates gets prohibitively large
Number of inputs to each logic gate (i.e. fan-in)
gets prohibitively large
Instead, design both hierarchically
Use smaller elements as building blocks
Interconnect building blocks in a multi-tier
structure
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Hierarchical Design
Exercise:
Design an 8-to-1 multiplexer using
4-to-1 and 2-to-1 multiplexers only.
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Hierarchical Design
Exercise:
Design a 16-to-1 multiplexer using
4-to-1 multiplexers only.
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Hierarchical Design
Exercise:
Design a 4-to-16 decoder using
2-to-4 decoders only.
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Questions?
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