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I have recently started studying computer organisation and found that in most of the books the design of computer system is not discussed beyond functional design abstraction level (as shown in the figure)

I want to know what is the procedure to physically implement functional design of a entire computer system (cpu+memory+I/O+system bus) into actual hardware (PCB)?

Thanks!

Fig. functional design of a computer (just for illustrative purpose)

enter image description here

partykid
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  • partykid - Hi, Your [exact duplicate](/q/622480) of this question (including the answer it received) has been merged into this one. Please don't repeat questions to bypass the closure/reopen review process. Paraphrasing a comment from that copy of the question - this question was closed as it was too broad, and it is still too broad even after the edit. Depending on the level of detail you want (and the complexity of the computer) your question may be a duplicate of (or at least largely overlap) earlier questions like: [this](/q/96576), [this](/q/13372), [this](/q/29969) or [this](/q/123627). – SamGibson Jun 06 '22 at 13:42

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The many of the first computers were built with discrete IC's, either by soldering or wirewrapping them together.

enter image description here Source: Fan-out of the Intel 8086

You can still purchase many of these chips and either build your own PCB or wirewrap them together. If you want to do this from 7400 series logic or equivalent, that can also be done. It could take anywhere from 20 to 100 Hours of time to wirewrap or design a PCB to do this, and it's a very educational experience (especially learning how to boot and run the computer with assembly). But a 2$ microprocessor can also do the same thing.

Voltage Spike
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Do you want something useful to use?

In which case we don't make computers from components these days, we buy microcontrollers on boards, like Arduino, or industrially-packaged devices like PLCs.

Or do you want to make something for learning and demonstration purposes?

In which case you might want to head over to the RetroComputing board, where there are plenty of people building computing machines from the ground up, who would have all the resources you need.

Neil_UK
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If you are really interested in the "deep" hardware of microcomputers, see this:
PicoBlaze or MicroBlaze ...

https://www.xilinx.com/products/intellectual-property/picoblaze.html

https://web.archive.org/web/20061212041830/http://www.xilinx.com/bvdocs/appnotes/xapp213.pdf

enter image description here

Antonio51
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In the old days, there were IC chips designed to make it possible to build a CPU on a printed circuit board. These were geared toward a so-called bit-slice architecture. These days it's not so practical to build a CPU on a printed circuit board, and professional CPUs are obviously integrated on a single chip. These are designed in Hardware Description Languages (i.e. Verilog or VHDL), and then the tools synthesize that design into a format that can be produced by a fabrication facility. Technically, there's a step (lots of steps actually) in between HDL and fabrication where the transistors are placed and routed, and much like in PCB design, this is often (?) done by engineers. But yea, building a CPU at a PCB scale today is a novelty at best, and probably more frustration than it's worth. Simulation tools are very good after all!

vicatcu
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  • I got your point. Indeed these days cpu are built up on chips which are further integrated on circuit board. I am aware of the chip design process where specs are entered via HDL and simulated to generate an RTL schematic which is further logically synthesised to generate a gate level net list which acts as an input for physical design followed by partitioning, floorplan etc to generate the desired chip. But I am not sure of the pcb design flow, how functional description of computer system consisting of modules cpu, I/O memory are synthesised into a physical circuit. – partykid Jun 06 '22 at 15:59
  • @partykid Basically by elaborating the details over and over until you get to the circuit level. So your diagram has a section marked "control logic gates". Figure out what those gates are and draw a new diagram with the gates. Let's say you have a bunch of AND gates. Find an AND gate chip that you like, research them, and draw a diagram showing how the gate chips are connected, instead of the |_) symbol. Now figure out how to arrange them on a circuit board for short connections, and copy over the connections. There are, of course, tools to help with every step of the process. – user253751 Jun 09 '22 at 13:32
  • @partykid of course you do not need to draw every single diagram as long as you can visualize it in your head. Many people wouldn't draw a schematic diagram showing the logic gate chips, they'd go straight from gate diagram to circuit board. – user253751 Jun 09 '22 at 13:34
  • @partykid and you can ask questions about one specific step you are confused about. – user253751 Jun 09 '22 at 13:34