Journal of the Technical University of Gabrovo, Vol.

37’2009 (-----)

WEB BASED INTERACTIVE DIGITAL LOGIC CIRCUIT SIMULATOR

Nenad Jovanović*, Suzana Marković, Zoran Jovanović

Business School of Professional Studies – Blace
Ranko Popović
Faculty of Informatics and Management, Singidunum University, Belgrade

Received …; accepted ….

Abstract - This paper describes a Web-based digital logic circuits simulator. System is realised in Java programming language and can be
executed as a standalone Java application or Java applet. Simulator can be used in educational purposes like an appendix of standard
learning methods or like a part of distance learning systems on Internet. System support composite model, i.e. it is possible to evolve
independence composition with arbitrary number of input and output, which is composed of basic digital logic elements, and use altogether.

Keywords: Modeling, simulation, distance learning, Java.

INTRODUCTION In this paper is being described the system for digital

Traditional educational system, which is mostly based
on theoretical learning, doesn’t give good results in the
aspect qualification of students for resolution practical
problems. Theoretical learning must be combined with
practical experience, while laboratories represent ideal
place for upgrade theoretical knowledge with practical
skills.
Acceleration in development of technologies, and
possibilites of informatical age, intend to change playing
rules in education. Educational system should be adapted
and be gave us new educational forms which will maintain
new students to use technological achievements in
educational process, without addition money expences, and
they phisical absence will not be a disadvantage.
On this challenge, many educational institutions give
response with development of online educational programs.
When we have possibility for transfer of educational
content over the Internet, it is necessary to give student an
online interaction with real or virtual equipment like
computers, routers, electronic circuits, lasers, microscopes
etc. When we have online control of equipment, we create
an online laboratory.
Online laboratories is used in technical and
mathematical sciences, and on field of society science.
In order to online labs would be adequate tool in process
of education, they must to realise three academic principles:
 Authenticity: Enable easy division of
development tools
 Complex: Posibility of visualisation an
complex process
 Colaboration: Posibility of computer
communication
logic circuit design and simulation [1]. We explore logic
circuit simulator features in detail, and we examine its use
in class assignments. Circuit simulator enables design and
analysis of logic circuits. User can build his circuits using
an on-line logic circuit simulator.
There are many simulators which are used in process of
design and simulation in switch logic circuits. LogicSim [2]
enables design and simulation of digital logic circuits using
basic logic elements such as AND, OR, FlipFlop, etc.
SirSim [3] is a symbolic simulator on transistor level based
on procedures delay calculation. Inputs are logic variables
instead constant 0 or 1. Silos [4] is logic simulator on basic
switch circuits level. He support IEEE standard format
delay. ModelSim [5] is system for verification and
debugging which simulates design on basic switch circuit
level and on RTL level.
ARCHITECTURE OF SYSTEM
System is defined in Java programming language. Basic
classes in system are presented in figure 1.
Entities in observed model are characterized by
attributes. State of system is determined with a set of
attributes that define static characteristics of entity.
Functionality for an entity is defined by functions that
represent dynamically review of system.
Entity can be modeled in Java by object that is an
instance of class (Figure 2), which have to define all static
attributes of that entity and to enable functional relation of
that entity with the other entities.
Base class in system is Entity [6][7][8]. UML notation
class Entity is shown in Figure 2. Class Entity models
structure properties of digital logic circuit entities (NOT,
AND, OR...) and enables establish function dependency.

*
Tel.:+381631045301; е-mail:jovanovic@vpskp.edu.rs
 Paleta Sistem
Editor
Port Entitet Svojstvo
Fig. 1.Basic classes in system
Attribute Type defines to whom the type of system
components entity belongs. The type can be “NOT”,
“AND”, “Connection”, “Port”...
Attribute nextType presents reference to the connected
list of next entities of different types wherewith the given
entity is connected in progressive order. Attribute nextType
for last entity in the structure has null value.
Attribute previousType presents the reference to the
connected list of previous entities of different types
wherewith the given entity is connected. Attribute
previousType for first entity in structure has null value.
Attribute nextEntity presents reference to the connected
list of next entities same type wherewith given entity is
connected in progressive order.
Attribute previousEntity presents reference to the
connected list of previous entities same type wherewith the
given entity is connected.
Entity
# type : String
# properties : Property
# nextType : Entity
# previousType : Entity
# nextEntity : Entity
# previousEntity : Entity
+ Entity()
+ Entity(String type)
+ addProperty(String name, String value)
+ findProperty(String name) : String
+ changeProperty(String name, String value)
+ setNextType(Entity nextType)
+ setPreviousType(Entity previousType)
+ setNextEntity(Entity nextEntity)
+ setPreviousEntity(Entity previousEntity)
Fig. 2. UML diagram of class Entity
Attribute properties presents reference to the head of
chained list whose elements define all characteristics of the
given entity. Static properties of entity are defined with its
attribute. Entity properties are presented with objects of
class Property (figure 3).
The reference to the head of the list is preceded in the
entity whose properties are defined by the list, and the
attribute value of the objects which is referenced by
attribute nextProperty of the last property is null.
Listing 1. Class ActiveEntity
Konekcija Port Kompozicija
IN Entitet OUT
NOT AND OR NAND NOR
Property
- name : String
- value : String
- nextProperty : Property
+ Property()
+ Property(String name,String value)
+ setName(String name)
+ getName(String name):String
+ setValue(String value)
+ getValue(String value):String
+ setNextProperty(Property next)
+ getNextProperty(Property next):Property
Fig. 3. Class Property
A Ports present logical construction and they define all
points of access between connection entity and functional
entity.
Attribute port Property defines reference to a connected
list whose elements determine port property. Port properties
are the name presented by port serial number, and I/O
property which determines whether it is output port or
input. If it is the output, than its attribute nextType presents
reference to the object Connection and priviousType
present reference to a functional object (for instance: AND).
If it is the input, than its attribute nextType presents
reference to the functional object, and previousType
presents reference to the object Connection.
Entity activity modeling
Active entity can be presented by objects which execute
as independently Java threads which can start and finish
some control activity. That object is active object. Active
object is like every object instance of some class, in this
case active class. Active class is class which objects have
independence flow of control.
Digital logic circuit entity can be modeled by Java class
Entity which defines all structure attributes of entities and
relations between other entities in the model.
Attributes and references of active entities can be
presented by class Entity also. However, in order to present
independent manage activities within active entity (e.g.
logic operation AND in AND element), class Entity can be
modified so that support possibility of executing
independent Java threads.
 class ActiveEntity extends Entity implements Runnable {
// ...
Thread thread;
public ActiveEntity() {
// ...
thread = new Thread(this);
thread.start();
}
public void run(){
// Define behaviour of entity ActiveEntity
// ...
}
}
Modified class named ActiveEntity should has all
attributes of class Entity, but it should define others
possibilities.
Class ActiveEntity has to be subclass of class Entity,
and since Java does not support concept of multi
inheritance, in order to embed facilities of executing
independent activities into class ActiveEntity, it has to
implement interface Runnable (Listing 1.)
SIMULATOR CAPABILITY
Visual simulator contains series control buttons. User
can edit arbitrary switch circuit and control simulation
process.
After starting the software system, one can use basic
system window (figure 4.). This window contains two parts.
First part is palette of command buttons, and the second is
white drawing area.
The three basic logic gates are the NOT gate, the AND
gate, and the OR gate. These are symbolized as in figures 4
and 5. User can combine these basic gates as building
blocks for more complex circuits. User can build his
circuits using an on-line logic circuit simulator. User can
open a new browser window and go to the page [1] to run
the simulator. To use the simulator user can click and drag
logic gates and other elements onto the page and connect
them to form circuits.
Fig. 4. Basic system window
Palette of command buttons
Control part contains command buttons (figure 5.)
Fig. 5. Control part
Following command buttons are available:
 Connection; enable connection of basic logic elements
 Input; defines input values
 Output; defines output values
 NOT element; enables insertion on white drawing area
logic element which simulate operation NOT logic
gate.
 OR element; enables insertion logic element which
simulate operation OR logic gate.
 NOR element; enables insertion logic element which
simulate operation NOR logic gate.
 AND element; enables insertion logic element which
simulate operation AND logic gate.
 NAND element; enables insertion logic element which
simulate operation NAND logic gate.
 Half-adder; enables insertion logic element which
simulate half-adder operation.
 Full-Adder; enables insertion logic element which
simulate full-adder operation.
 Composition; enables insertion on white drawing area
composition with arbitrary number of input and output
afterward defined
 Displacement component; this button enables
operating mode of displacement element over drawing
area.
 Delete; this button deletes all elements on drawing area
and set initially system state.
 Info; this button gives basic system information.
 Help; this button gives basic information about
working with system.
Desktop
Desktop serves for logic circuits drawing. Basic
information that you can execute on this area are: insertion
of new object, configuration connection between one
element output and input of the other element, set on
certainly input signal on logic 1, respectively 0, and object
displacement.
To use the simulator one can click and drag logic gates
and other elements onto the page and connect them to form
circuits (figure 6.).
 Fig.6. Click and drag logic gates

To create a new circuit element, simply left click on the

element in the window on the upper side of the interface.
Hold down the mouse button and drag the element into the
white drawing area.
All inputs are initially set on value 0. One can right
click on the appropriate input to change input element state.
Connection drawing is optimized (figure 7 a.) Every
connection consists of four turning points so that
connection can be corrected when displacement element
(displacement button is active) (figure 7. b).

a. b.
Fig. 7. Connection drawing is optimized

SIMULATOR IMPLEMENTATION IN EDUCATION

PURPOSE: EXAMPLE

Consider the standard combinational module decoder

DC2/4 with two inputs and four outputs (figure 8).

Fig.8. Graphical symbol of decoder DC2/4

Principle of functioning decoder DC2/4 is:

D0 = x1x0E
D1 = x1x2E
D2 = x1x0E
D3 = x1x0E
Figure 9. Structural schema of decoder DC2/4
Structural schema of decoder DC2/4 resides in figure 9.
Realized decoder, as composite element, is described in
figure 10.
 Fig.10. Realized decoder
CONCLUSIONS
In this paper, we have described digital logic circuits
simulator, which is realised in Java programming language.
System enables arbitrary switch circuit design using basic
logic circuits and simulation of designed module.
Environment is interactive, topologies are arbitrary, so that
it is possible to fabricate and execute many laboratory
exercises. System enables students in introductory courses
to design and simulate logic circuits. Simulator is Web-
based and can be used as a part of distance learning system
or electronic classroom.
REFERENCES
[1] A software demo:
http://weblab.vpskp.edu.yu/osovi/logicsim/index.htm
[2] http://www.tetzl.de/java_logic_simulator.html
[3] (SirSim)C. B. McDonald and R.E. Bryant. Symbolic
timing simulation using cluster scheduling. In
Proceedings of the 37th conference on Design
automation, 2000, pp. 254-259.
[4] Silos User’s Manual Version 2002.1. By Simucad Inc.,
2002.0
[5] ModelSim SE, PSL Assertions Guide. Version 5. 8 Beta.
By Model Technology, August 2003.
[6] N.Jovanović, R.Popović, Z.Jovanović, Defining a
General Object Model of Distributed Systems Entities in
Java, Facta Univ. Ser.: Elec. Energ., vol. 16, No. 2,
August 2003, pp. 185-194
[7] N.Jovanović, R.Popović, Z.Jovanović, Modeling
Synchronous Comunication in Java, JOURNAL of the
Technical University of Gabrovo, vol.28, 2003, pp. 77-
81.
[8] N.Jovanović, R.Popović, Z.Jovanović, Modeling
Distributed System Entities Which Comunicate
Asynchronous via Message Passing in Java, Neural,
Parallel & Scientific Computations, Atlanta, vol. 13,
2005, pp.63-76.