3.

3 Combinational Logic Circuits

Combinational Logic Circuits are made up from basic logic NAND, NOR or NOT gates that are
“combined” or connected together to produce more complicated switching circuits. These logic
gates are the building blocks of combinational logic circuits. An example of a combinational circuit is
a decoder, which converts the binary code data present at its input into a number of different
output lines, one at a time producing an equivalent decimal code at its output.

Some of the characteristics of combinational circuits are following −

1. The output of combinational circuit at any instant of time, depends only on the levels
present at input terminals.
2. The combinational circuit do not use any memory. The previous state of input does not have
any effect on the present state of the circuit.
3. A combinational circuit can have an n number of inputs and m number of outputs.

Combinational logic circuits can be very simple or very complicated and any combinational circuit
can be implemented with only NAND and NOR gates as these are classed as “universal” gates.

The three main ways of specifying the function of a combinational logic circuit are:

1. Boolean Algebra – This forms the algebraic expression showing the operation of the logic
circuit for each input variable either True or False that results in a logic “1” output.

2. Truth Table – A truth table defines the function of a logic gate by providing a concise list that
shows all the output states in tabular form for each possible combination of input variable that the
gate could encounter.

3. Logic Diagram – This is a graphical representation of a logic circuit that shows the wiring and
connections of each individual logic gate, represented by a specific graphical symbol, that
implements the logic circuit.

and all three of these logic circuit representations are shown below.
Classification of Combinational Logic
Examples of Combinational Logic Circuits
Half Adder
It is the combinational logic derived by using two inputs and two outputs. The circuit design allowed
us to add two one-bit binary numbers. So, the main purpose of using half adder is for addition. With
the inputs as A and B, the circuit can be designed as follows
Full Adder
Full adder is developed to overcome the drawback of Half Adder circuit. It can add two one-bit
numbers A and B, and carry c. The full adder is a three input and two output combinational circuit.
N-Bit Parallel Adder

The Full Adder is capable of adding only two single digit binary number along with a carry input. But
in practical we need to add binary numbers which are much longer than just one bit. To add two n-
bit binary numbers we need to use the n-bit parallel adder. It uses a number of full adders in
cascade. The carry output of the previous full adder is connected to carry input of the next full
adder.

4 Bit Parallel Adder

In the block diagram, A0 and B0 represent the LSB of the four bit words A and B. Hence Full Adder-0
is the lowest stage. Hence its Cin has been permanently made 0. The rest of the connections are
exactly same as those of n-bit parallel adder is shown in fig. The four bit parallel adder is a very
common logic circuit.
N-Bit Parallel Subtractor

The subtraction can be carried out by taking the 1's or 2's complement of the number to be
subtracted. For example we can perform the subtraction (A-B) by adding either 1's or 2's
complement of B to A. That means we can use a binary adder to perform the binary subtraction.

4 Bit Parallel Subtractor

The number to be subtracted (B) is first passed through inverters to obtain its 1's complement. The
4-bit adder then adds A and 2's complement of B to produce the subtraction. S3 S2 S1 S0 represents
the result of binary subtraction (A-B) and carry output Cout represents the polarity of the result. If A
> B then Cout = 0 and the result of binary form (A-B) then Cout = 1 and the result is in the 2's
complement form.
Half Subtractors

Half subtractor is a combination circuit with two inputs and two outputs (difference and borrow). It
produces the difference between the two binary bits at the input and also produces an output
(Borrow) to indicate if a 1 has been borrowed. In the subtraction (A-B), A is called as Minuend bit
and B is called as Subtrahend bit.
Full Subtractors

The disadvantage of a half subtractor is overcome by full subtractor. The full subtractor is a
combinational circuit with three inputs A,B,C and two output D and C'. A is the 'minuend', B is
'subtrahend', C is the 'borrow' produced by the previous stage, D is the difference output and C' is
the borrow output.
Multiplexers

Multiplexer is a special type of combinational circuit. There are n-data inputs, one output and m
select inputs with 2m = n. It is a digital circuit which selects one of the n data inputs and routes it to
the output. The selection of one of the n inputs is done by the selected inputs. Depending on the
digital code applied at the selected inputs, one out of n data sources is selected and transmitted to
the single output Y. E is called the strobe or enable input which is useful for the cascading. It is
generally an active low terminal that means it will perform the required operation when it is low.

Multiplexers come in multiple variations

 2 : 1 multiplexer
 4 : 1 multiplexer
 16 : 1 multiplexer
 32 : 1 multiplexer
Demultiplexers

A demultiplexer performs the reverse operation of a multiplexer i.e. it receives one input and
distributes it over several outputs. It has only one input, n outputs, m select input. At a time only
one output line is selected by the select lines and the input is transmitted to the selected output
line. A de-multiplexer is equivalent to a single pole multiple way switch as shown in fig.

Demultiplexers comes in multiple variations.

 1 : 2 demultiplexer
 1 : 4 demultiplexer
 1 : 16 demultiplexer
 1 : 32 demultiplexer
Decoder

A decoder is a combinational circuit. It has n input and to a maximum m = 2n outputs. Decoder is

identical to a demultiplexer without any data input. It performs operations which are exactly
opposite to those of an encoder.

Examples of Decoders are following.

 Code converters
 BCD to seven segment decoders
 Nixie tube decoders
 Relay actuator
2 to 4 Line Decoder

The block diagram of 2 to 4 line decoder is shown in the fig. A and B are the two inputs
where D through D are the four outputs. Truth table explains the operations of a decoder. It
shows that each output is 1 for only a specific combination of inputs.
Encoder

Encoder is a combinational circuit which is designed to perform the inverse operation of the
decoder. An encoder has n number of input lines and m number of output lines. An encoder
produces an m bit binary code corresponding to the digital input number. The encoder accepts an n
input digital word and converts it into an m bit another digital word

Examples of Encoders are following.

 Priority encoders
 Decimal to BCD encoder
 Octal to binary encoder
 Hexadecimal to binary encoder
Priority Encoder

This is a special type of encoder. Priority is given to the input lines. If two or more input line are 1 at
the same time, then the input line with highest priority will be considered. There are four input D0,
D1, D2, D3 and two output Y0, Y1. Out of the four input D3 has the highest priority and D0 has the
lowest priority. That means if D3 = 1 then Y1 Y1 = 11 irrespective of the other inputs. Similarly if D3 =
0 and D2 = 1 then Y1 Y0 = 10 irrespective of the other inputs.
Applications of Combinational Logic Circuit

Combinational logic circuits are the basic building blocks of digital systems. They have an extensive
variety of applications. They are used in

 Digital measuring techniques

 Digital processing
 Industrial processing
 Computers
 Calculators
 Digital Communication

Combinational logic circuits as arithmetic and logic circuits have applications as

 Comparators
 Programmable logic devices
 Adders & Subtractors

Combinational logic circuits as data transmission circuits have applications as

 Parallel to serial convertors

 Data routing
 Serial to parallel converters
 Bit Compression
 ADC and DAC
 Encoders & Decoders

Combinational logic circuits as code converter circuits have applications as

 Binary to gray code conversion

 Gray to Binary conversion
 BCD to Excess-3
 Excess-3 to BCD
 Seven segment code

Combinational Logic Circuit Design Procedure

The below steps clearly explains the design procedure of how a combinational logic system is
developed

1. Identifying the required number of input and output variables

2. Symbolizing all the identified input and output variables
3. Express the relationship between these variables
4. With the relationship, construct the truth table
5. Derive the Boolean expression for all the outputs
6. Minimize the Boolean expression to reduce the complication
7. Design the logic diagram with the help of Boolean expressions

To minimize Boolean expressions, various approaches are followed. K-map and Quinne-McCluskey
are the most followed techniques. The above-stated procedure is a streamlined and effective
technique. Through this, the design of circuits seems to be completely reliable.
1). The logical gates are categorized into _______
One group
Two groups
Three groups
Four groups

2). _______ are basic gates

NOT
NAND
AND
NOT, AND, & OR

3). __________ are universal gates

NOT
NAND & NOR
AND
NOT, AND, & OR
4). __________ are arithmetic gates
NOT
NAND & NOR
X-OR & X-NOR
NOT, AND, & OR

5). _________ are the common forms of complex logic gates

OR-AND-Invert (OAI)
AND-OR-Invert (AOI)
Both OAI and AOI
None of the above
6). Who invented Boolean algebra?
Bardeen
Claude Shannon
George Boole
None of the above
7). _________ are the alternative form of canonical form
Sum of products
Product of sums
Both a and b
None of the above

8). Combinational logic is used to ___________

Compute outputs
Compute new states
Both a and b
None of the above