Richard Astwick Undergraduate Dissertation 2014/15

Building a CPU in Logisim

Supervised by D.Sudholt

Abstract

The aim of this project is to demonstrate how every CPU, no matter how complex, can be designed from just a few basic building blocks. To show this a CPU was designed and created, using circuit design software called Logisim, capable of carrying out a number of operations. The CPU was constructed almost completely from elementary gates (AND, OR, NOT) and an entire custom assembly language was designed and built specifically for this unit. This report summarises research about how a CPU works and what components it contains in a number of structured sections. The software itself, Logisim, is explored and analysed. The design process is documented and design decisions justified. The project has been successfully implemented and a  YouTube video presenting the CPU can be found at https://youtu.be/fFgeF9XXA0w.