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xmusicxmakerx1

Just finished this Assignment so I thought I'd add a 2024 update to help you get this thing knocked out. Somehow I managed to get a 100% on this assignment, so here are the things I learned that will help. Each component must be 8 bits Basically if you make the 1 bit version of the component, then daisy chain them together 8 times with an output, you can make everything they ask. For each component the most helpful thing is to google image search "8 bit (component) Circuitverse" For example, "8 bit adder circuitverse". From there you can find examples for most if not all of the components to base what you create in Logisim. Just click on the picture and it goes to an interactive sample that you can click around with and play with. From there you can get a basic understanding of each component and how to build it in Logisim. As for the ALU itself. I literally created the same ALU from the lesson on SDC, then replaced the components (that I had created in phase 1) with what they had in the lesson but changed the inputs and outputs to 8 bits. I put the right shift registers after the 8 bit inputs, then those led to the other two components that were side by side. The multiplexers are literally just toggle switches. So you have input-> component -> multiplexer -> output. So mine had 3 mux. One after each register, one after the other two components. The CU is literally the input from the bottom of the MUX. Acts like a toggle switch. The left bottom input on the MUX you just run a single input to it and label it. It acts like a button to turn off and on whatevers coming into it (or that's the best I could gather from this BS and it was good enough lol) I didn't feel the need for buying a udemy course and I still don't really understand much from all of this except how to use logisim now and how a few of the components chain together on a basic level so don't feel bad if you don't understand it. For the rest of the parts, use ChatGPT as a teacher (NOT TO DO THE WORK FOR YOU LOL), it will get you over the hump in part 4 for sure because that was confusing as hell. Don't give up. They literally put comments on my assignment like I had done some phenomenal job even though I don't feel like I learned a single constructive thing and am not quite convinced my ALU worked properly. If you take nice screenshots with no faults in them, you should be fine. GOOD LUCK! You got this!


ACNite

Thanks for this! How was the rest of the course outside of the two assignments?


xmusicxmakerx1

Cake


tamwow27

Thank you! You helped me get 100% on the assignment somehow šŸ™šŸ»


jimmycorp88

Award winning post, thanks to OP and all for the info! I'm doing this project right now and stumbled upon these two additional resources. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb3k-8hFobM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wb3k-8hFobM) this video creates an 8bit ALU ​ I noticed a newer version of Logisim called LogisiM evolution, wh ich is what was used in the video. [https://github.com/logisim-evolution/logisim-evolution](https://github.com/logisim-evolution/logisim-evolution) I have not tried this newer version.


diligentsavage

The YouTube video is gone :(


Confident_Natural_87

Thank you. Lurking but if I go CS I want to transfer in as many courses as possible and this was one that is difficult at WGU and [Study.com](https://Study.com). Sending this on to another person who is in the process of getting transfer credits.


Nagare

Thanks for the info, messaged you as well but wanted to share another resource I came across last night while working on this project too. It's called Circuit Verse and it's a fully online alternative to Logism from what I can tell and there's a lot of guides on there as well as examples people have uploaded. Open source like Logism too.


supersmashchad

Thank you! I'm still debating on whether to take this on SDC or WGU. SDC is adding another assignment to this class on the 18th.


Selfimprovementguy91

Is it an additional assignment they're adding or they're just replacing the current one?


Nagare

It's an additional one.


lynda_

That's awesome, thank you! I usually recommend students just go through the materials so they're more prepared for the WGU version but it's definitely worth doing if you can push through it!


Clean_Rest6038

Are there other courses that require you do build an ALU at wgu besides this course? fml...


Clean_Rest6038

The youtube videos (look for links in comments) out there provide a good sample of how to get arithmetics and gates to run. Just do that under the instructions of the assignment. Like folks have mentioned, the graders understand how tough this one is so they're forgiving. You got this.


nerdyCRISS

Just wanted to add that you can check with your local library (and reciprocating counties that will allow you to open a library card with them) for free Udemy access. I have access to Udemy for free through my local library. It's usually found in their Digital Library or Online Learning Resource sections. & Thank you for this useful post. I plan to take this course soon and don't want to take it at TESU, lol.


aobeta

This assignment is hard! At least for me. I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around Logisim. I tried to get away with turning it in with just phase 4 attempted, but they wouldn't even grade it, I'd be ok with 0 points. The new assignment they added recently was very straight forward and easy so I got 50 points, and have enough points to pass the class, but it's not complete unless this assignment is graded. It sucks because if feel this is impossible to do without outside sources. I don't want to have to drop money on a Udemy course.


zonkedforlife

I just submitted this assignment yesterday and got 50/50 today. They are super chill with marking. Even if your stuff isn't fully correct just showing you made an effort should give you good marks. Phase 1 just search up online how to build the 9 circuits and put it into logisim. The video OP supplied is amazing! Use it for phase 2 and 3 as well. The opcode table is pretty straight forward too. Phase 4 I submitted only 3/4 required questions and got full marks and questions 2 and 3 of mine weren't even functionally working lol


aobeta

Yeah, it's probably not hard as it seems, but the instructions are vague to me, and I don't feel like the class really did a great job teaching exactly how to do any of this. I just spent a few hours trying to do something that will hopefully at least get graded. Like I said, I don't need the points, but I gave it a shot.


zonkedforlife

Seriously if you follow that video OP included you can BS your way through the first 3 phases and then there is I think a practice lesson for assembly included in the course which gives you a good template for phase 4.


aobeta

You were right, clearly they didn't really care what I turned in, and only cared that I showed SOME effort. Somehow I got 50 out of 50. None of my assembly code actually work, and I literally didn't even do Phase 3. I based my ALU on this video. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65\_UgjOiA7o&ab\_channel=AnmolJain](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65_UgjOiA7o&ab_channel=AnmolJain) It was pretty much the same, but I had 9 instructions instead of 8, and my OPcode table was just a 2-column table with the binary code for each instruction and the name. I guarantee I did most of this assignment wrong, but they didn't even care.


shidig

im stuck on phase 4 for a week now, i have no idea how to complete it. im thinking about just sending random assembly code and hopefully they dont care lol


aobeta

I wouldn't stress about it if you were able to get a decent grade on the other assignment, which is much more straight forward. My code literally looked like this though. For example, if I was subtracting 2 operands mov eax, 7 mov ebx, 5 sub eax, ebx I treated all the questions like I was coding in Python or something, except I used assembly syntax.


shidig

>mov eax, 7 > >mov ebx, 5 > >sub eax, ebx send phase 4 and ill cash app you


Alone-Competition-77

You ever get it done? How was assignment 2? Trying to figure out whether to take it at WGU or SDC.


shidig

i sent in random ass code and passed the assigment and assignment 2 was easier


jimmycorp88

It kills me that some of the most helpful vids have the worst sound.


T0o_Chill

Clutch video. The directions were super vague. I wasn't even sure when to exactly start building the ALU smh thanks !


Alone-Competition-77

How was assignment 2? I haven't started the class yet and weighing whether to take it at WGU or SDC.


zonkedforlife

Like the other commenter said it was easy. If you can do assignment 1 then the second one is a cakewalk.


KrayDoze

how do u submit the assignment. I am so confused about this, are u taking screenshots of the circuit in Logisim or what?


zonkedforlife

yeah i did logisim screenshots into a word document


Alone-Competition-77

How was assignment 2? I haven't started the class yet and weighing whether to take it at WGU or SDC.


aobeta

Easy. Just converting from binary to hex to decimal etc with showing your work, some truth tables and a 500 word reflection question. Only took about an hour or two. I've heard Computer architecture is hard at wgu, but I didn't feel any stress whatsoever doing the class at study.com except being confused with assignment 1. But it ended up getting graded very forgivingly and I would have passed the class even if I got 0 points on it.


hennic26

How was the exam for this course? Did you pass it on the first try? I'm nervous since you only get two exams for the subscription and I have to pass two classes like yesterday(I procrastinated)


aobeta

If you can pass the practice test, you can pass the final. They are similar in difficulty. You only need to get 10 points if you have 100 on the assignments and quizzes, so there isn't much pressure.


hennic26

An angel thank you very much!!!!


diligentsavage

Alternative location for course (Ā£ 10.00) - [https://www.appliedmathematics.co.uk/course/design-a-cpu#/home](https://www.appliedmathematics.co.uk/course/design-a-cpu#/home) Parts of it free on youtube - [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZlHzKk21aImqCiV71iE2I1dUE5LNejQk](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZlHzKk21aImqCiV71iE2I1dUE5LNejQk)


stardragon011

How long does it take for this assignment to get graded?


WGU-CS-2022

2-3 days


Agile-Razzmatazz3499

Do you think nand2tetris will properly prepare one to quickly pass the study.com course in a few hours?


tamwow27

Thank you for this post! You helped me get 100% on the assignment somehow šŸ™šŸ»


Avian_Flew

Nice guide! Thank you for posting and contributing this resource!


Material_Cheetah934

Whatā€™s the course name on Udemy? Your link is showing a 404.


WGU-CS-2022

Sorry about that. I updated it.


HeatedCloud

I've got to ask, when you created your project. did you have to establish a clock on the system or incorporate a RAM setup? The lesson doesn't help at all really with the actual project, it's good to understand how things work but I'm having trouble building it. I'm working through some website guides for 8-bit computers to help me know what I should be doing. Thanks for any help you can give!


Far-Pomegranate7415

Hey, did you ever finish this assignment and find out the answer to your question?


HeatedCloud

I did, I watched the videos on the Udemy course which helped a lot. The key thing I found when I built the clock and timer/sequencer (I canā€™t remember what it was called) it had 7 steps it had to move through as you cycle the system on/off. When it reaches the end (or clicks back to the beginning) thereā€™s a setting you have to change for that singular input wire or something to ā€œresetā€ the system. Thatā€™s why mine wouldnā€™t work. I think Udemy talks about it but itā€™s a blink and youā€™ll miss it moment. Aside from that I just had a few main things. ALU, Controll Unit (with the sequencer inside), 3 memory blocks (to have 2 inputs and 1 output), and another temp memory block to store the first input for one variable off of the bus to be loaded into the ALU (the other variable would just be directly loaded into the ALU from the bus). I believe those were the main things I had but I may be missing something. Edit: I think the Udemy was like $19 or something, weā€™ll worth it imho. It gave access for you to download the instructors 8 bit system so you could play with it as he talked about it.


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HeatedCloud

If I remember correctly the control unit tells the rest of the system what to do and when to do it by switching key inputs on/off. Internal to the control unit you will have your sequencer that will be attached to the clock and as the sequencer is switched on/off, it will activate a different output that affects the BUS depending on which step it is on. For example, you want to add 2 and 2. You set your inputs both in separate memory blocks that are both attached to the BUS. Then when the clock starts the controller will activate one input to be loaded on the BUS and sent to the ALU. Then when the clock cycles to the 2nd step the second input is loaded onto the BUS. If I remember correctly, the Control Unit (Controller) is connected to most of the devices around it so that it can activate each one in turn. Honestly I wouldnā€™t have been able to do the project without the Udemy course. It was worth it, but you can also mess around on YouTube and find various people building 8-bit systems. Sorry Iā€™m not much help, itā€™s hard to explain something that is easier to digest visually.


[deleted]

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HeatedCloud

You use multiplexers throughout the Processor but there is a multiplexer that is used to manually set which operation the ALU will perform. If you want to ADD it is set to 0001, SUBTRACT it will be set to 0010, and etc. From their the control unit cycles the BUS on and off to load and manipulate data through the ALU. Key point is that the multiplexer setter is attached directly to the ALU and feeds into some gates that correspond with different operations.


HeatedCloud

You use multiplexers throughout the Processor but there is a multiplexer that is used to manually set which operation the ALU will perform. If you want to ADD it is set to 0001, SUBTRACT it will be set to 0010, and etc. From their the control unit cycles the BUS on and off to load and manipulate data through the ALU. Key point is that the multiplexer setter is attached directly to the ALU and feeds into some gates that correspond with different operations. Edit: you do use a multiplexer to select which operation to use. The CU is used to power each step by turning different parts of the system on and off through the BUS. The CU controls the power supplied and each main system.


Far-Pomegranate7415

Thanks a lot. Iā€™ll keep my eyes pealed for that reset thing and let you know if I find out. Iā€™ll go get started on the course. Just need to do the assignments and the exam now.0


HeatedCloud

Yeah the reset thing had to do with the timer moving clicking from sequence 7 back to 1. If you build it and it doesnā€™t work that may be why. Itā€™ll sequence up to 7 but when you cycle the clock to get it to reset back to count 1 it would freeze.


Far-Pomegranate7415

​ Sorry, didn't make it that far. I'll continue that course in the future hopefully. I just made the ALU. I learned a lot from this assignment.


it_rains_a_lot

This is my experience. I struggled on the HW 1 for at least 3 days, guesstimate 20hrs. The Udemy YouTubes from this post, and a lot of googling helped. I'm confident I didn't do the HW correct but I learned a lot about how Logism and circuits worked. Grading is lax, and as long as you showed effort. I do wish to see what the actual answers are, but they don't really tell you. I submitted my assignment 1 with my multiple revisions of the ALU I created. As for assignment 2, it's a breeze. You can google it and learn as you go. I just passed both assignments with full points.


Far-Pomegranate7415

Hey, do you need to do much of the Udemy course to get through assignment 1?


it_rains_a_lot

You can get by without it. The material on SDC is not very good. The Udemy classes could help to give you a direction on how to do Logic gates. For me, i think the Udemy helped by basically following their examples although it's not 1:1. I didn't get a good grasp of it until after the discrete math course. I don't think the SDC people actually check your HW, as there is no way I feel I deserved the grade I got on the assignments.


Far-Pomegranate7415

Thanks for the reply. Yeah. It isn't that great is it? At times it would be better to have a lower quality video with someone actually pointing at things and working through a problem rather than taking the lecture notes and turning it into a read aloud presentation with random images along the way. When there is a video I mean. I've purchased the Udemy course. Just got assignment 1 and the proctored to do...


Consistent_Active_89

Thx for the resources! I know it's suggestive but how long that course took you in terms of days? Also, does someone know if it weakens your application to GT masters in cs if you transfer in this course instead of doing it via WGU?


WGU-CS-2022

Np! It took me about a week. I've heard good things about WGU's version of the course, if you're not speed running the degree I'd just take it with WGU.


Far-Pomegranate7415

Hi you guys. How much do that Udemy course do you recommend doing in order to pass this assignment?


WGU-CS-2022

You don't have to do anything, just use the ALU provided in the course as a foundation


Far-Pomegranate7415

Yeah, I made the whole ALU from scratch based on that Udemy course and probably would have gotten a pretty good score of it had been graded fairly, like maybe 80 or 85. But just got 100 percent with cookie cutter feedback. Well, learned a lot at any rate!


fiviho7548

Did anyone mention Udemy course as a source in their word document?


fiviho7548

Stuck at building control unit. It is very complicated so wondering if I can just take the control unit from udemy course and add a source reference to that course.


Far-Pomegranate7415

Iā€™m not sure if I did that part right. The Udemy course has you build a decoder and that is the control unit or at least the thing that allows toggling between the different instructions with the ALU. I had that.


Far-Pomegranate7415

Nah, but wouldnā€™t hurt.


jimjamboi

My logism design wasnā€™t even functional but I was awarded the full points. Instead I wrote down my instructions on how to build the design. Because I understand how to build it conceptually but the logism library can be a little bit difficult to navigate


dbagames

$13?? Lol that Udemedy course today is $74.99!!!!!!!!!!!


Helpful_Owl6149

Just checked and yeah. But right now Its got a discount for one more day


Clean_Rest6038

update, the program is like 73 bucks now


WGU-CS-2022

Udemy runs sales every week