CPU Simulation Tool

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CPU Simulation Tool
Stephen McLaughlin
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is where all a
computers actions are decided and controlled. The
CPU consists of three main sections
This Project will create a simulation tool
demonstrating the CPUs functionality throughout
varying architecture, instruction and complexity
choices.
Control Unit organises the actions of the CPU,
and sequences the actions of the other
components to execute programs.
Arithmetic/Logic Unit (ALU) acts as a calculator,
under the direction of the control unit.
Registers individual high-speed storage
locations, internal to the CPU, used to hold
temporary data.
Students should benefit from the ability to
adapt the structures and complexity to focus on
the precise area which is unclear to them. A
simulation would also be a useful tool for
lectures to use to as a visual demonstration of
the theory they are lecturing.
The computing science courses 31V4 and 31R6
concentrate on 1 CPU design aspects. Students on
these courses should benefit from this
interactive teaching aid.
The interior of a computer is not usually seen
and is difficult to visualise for students. The
complex nature of most existing CPU simulations
can hinder a students understanding of the
processes involved.
The use of a diagrammatical walk- through
allows the user to understand the flow of data
within the CPU. The different stages of an
executing instruction can be traced through
the display and a textual step progression.
Different aspects of CPU design will be able to
be investigated such as memory access, multiple
bus architectures, pipelining and superscalar
machines. The simulator will be written using
Javev1.3.
Example of a Basic C.P.U Architecture
Screen Shot of Prototype