Question

How would I use a logic analyser to debug logic gate hardware?

Answer 1

A logic analyzer is mainly used for digital hardware debugging, design verification, and embedded software debugging.

It is an instrument that captures and displays multiple signals from a Digital System and Digital Circuits.

In-order to decode a logic gate hardware, the logic analyzer has a capability to convert the captured data into timing diagrams.

These are very useful when the user needs to see timing relationships between many signals in a digital system.

In a logic analyzer, there are multiple input intervals which can be used to apply the input and the output is seen on the screen in terms of timing diagrams to decode the working of logic gates.

For the operation select the appropriate Logic Gate whose Hardware you need to debug whether it is working perfectly or not.

Connect the input probes to the hardware and logic analyzer.

Once the probes are connected, you can program the analyzer by naming each signal, and you can group several signals together for easier manipulation.

Next, you have to select a capture mode, either

"TIMING" mode, where the input signals are sampled at regular intervals based on an internal or external clock source, or "STATE" mode, where one or more of the signals are defined as "clocks", and data are taken on the rising or falling edges of these clocks.

After this, a last step where, a trigger condition must be set.

A simple trigger condition for triggering the circuit on a rising or falling edge of a single signal is chosen.

At this point, you can set the analyzer to "run" mode, either triggering once, or repeatedly triggering.

Once the data is captured, you can compare the timing circuit obtained practically on a logic analyzer to the theoretical timing circuit of that particular logic gate and Interpret your results.