A Digital Computer Engineering Laboratory

The course and laboratory discussed in this paper offer students an opportunity to gain realistic experience in the engineering of digital computers. The laboratory provides a sufficient number of logic elements to allow students to construct general purpose digital computers of modest design; only a few assemblies of fixed design are provided. The course progresses from work with basic combinational and sequential circuits through the design and testing of digital subsystems, to a project in which groups of students are challenged to specify, design, test, program, and demonstrate their digital computer. Two years of experience indicate that students are willing to enthusiastically expend a great deal of effort to meet this challenge.