Designing with LCD: Language for computer design

Abstract

LCD, a Language for Computer Design, permits the description of both the function and the structure of digital hardware. Machines may be described at a very high (system) level, at a very low (gate) level, or at any intermediate level. LCD descriptions are processed by a set of programs which support high level design and verification. These programs include facilities to check the description for correct syntax, carry out a mixed numeric and symbolic simulation, check a dataflow for completeness, and generate a first pass at the control structure. Various versions of the machine being designed may be compared by use of the symbofic simulation. In this report, we guide the user through the design process, using a small processor as the example.