Chapter 7: Microprogrammed Control

Dr. Lo’ai Tawalbeh

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 Control Unit Implementation
• Hardwired
Memory Instruction code

Combinational . Control
Sequence Counter
Logic Circuits . signals

• Microprogrammed
CAR: Control Address Register
Memory Instruction code CDR: Control Data Register

Next Address Decoding . Control

Generator CAR Control CDR
Memory Circuit . signals
(sequencer)

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 Microprogrammed Control Unit
• Control signals
– Group of bits used to select paths in multiplexers,
decoders, arithmetic logic units
• Control variables
– Binary variables specify microoperations
• Certain microoperations initiated while others idle
• Control word
– String of 1’s and 0’s represent control variables

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 Microprogrammed Control Unit
• Control memory
– Memory contains control words
• Microinstructions
– Control words stored in control memory
– Specify control signals for execution of
microoperations
• Microprogram
– Sequence of microinstructions

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 Control Memory
• Read-only memory (ROM)
• Content of word in ROM at given address specifies
microinstruction
• Each computer instruction initiates series of
microinstructions (microprogram) in control memory
• These microinstructions generate microoperations to
– Fetch instruction from main memory
– Evaluate effective address
– Execute operation specified by instruction
– Return control to fetch phase for next instruction

Control
Address Control word
memory
(microinstruction)
(ROM)
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 Microprogrammed Control
Organization
External Next Address Control
input CDR Control
Generator CAR Memory word
(sequencer) (ROM)

• Control memory
– Contains microprograms (set of microinstructions)
– Microinstruction contains
• Bits initiate microoperations
• Bits determine address of next microinstruction
• Control address register (CAR)
– Specifies address of next microinstruction
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Microprogrammed Control Organization

• Next address generator (microprogram

sequencer)
– Determines address sequence for control memory
• Microprogram sequencer functions
– Increment CAR by one
– Transfer external address into CAR
– Load initial address into CAR to start control
operations

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 Microprogrammed Control
Organization
• Control data register (CDR)- or pipeline register
– Holds microinstruction read from control memory
– Allows execution of microoperations specified by control
word simultaneously with generation of next
microinstruction
• Control unit can operate without CDR

External Next Address Control

input Control
Generator CAR Memory word
(sequencer) (ROM)

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 Microprogram Routines
• Routine
– Group of microinstructions stored in control
memory
• Each computer instruction has its own
microprogram routine to generate
microoperations that execute the
instruction

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 Microprogram Routines
• Subroutine
– Sequence of microinstructions used by other routines
to accomplish particular task
• Example
– Subroutine to generate effective address of operand
for memory reference instruction
• Subroutine register (SBR)
– Stores return address during subroutine call

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 Conditional Branching
• Branching from one routine to another
depends on status bit conditions
• Status bits provide parameter info such as
– Carry-out of adder
– Sign bit of number
– Mode bits of instruction
• Info in status bits can be tested and actions
initiated based on their conditions: 1 or 0
• Unconditional branch
– Fix value of status bit to 1

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 Mapping of Instruction
• Each computer instruction has its own
microprogram routine stored in a given
location of the control memory
• Mapping
– Transformation from instruction code bits to
address in control memory where routine is
located

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 Mapping of Instruction
• Example
– Mapping 4-bit operation code to 7-bit address

OP-codes of Instructions
ADD 0000
0001
AND 0010
Control
LDA
memory
Mapping bits 0 xxxx 00 Address
0 0000 00 ADD Routine

0 0001 00 AND Routine

0 0010 00 LDA Routine

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 Address Sequencing
• Address sequencing capabilities required
in control unit
– Incrementing CAR
– Unconditional or conditional branch,
depending on status bit conditions
– Mapping from bits of instruction to address for
control memory
– Facility for subroutine call and return

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 Address Sequencing

Instruction code

Mapping
logic

Status Branch MUX Multiplexers

bits logic select

Subroutine
Register
Control Address Register (SBR)
(CAR)

Incrementer

Control memory (ROM)

select a status
bit
Microoperations
Branch address

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 Microprogram Example
MUX
10 0
Computer AR
Configuration Address Memory
10 0 2048 x 16
PC

MUX

15 0
6 0 6 0 DR
SBR CAR

Control memory Arithmetic

128 x 20 logic and
shift unit
Control unit
15 0
AC
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 Microprogram Example
Computer instruction format
15 14 11 10 0
I Opcode Address

Four computer instructions

Symbol OP-code Description
EA is the effective address
ADD 0000 AC AC + M[EA]
BRANCH 0001 if (AC < 0) then (PC  EA)
STORE 0010 M[EA]  AC
EXCHANGE 0011 AC M[EA], M[EA] 
AC

Microinstruction Format
3 3 3 2 2 7
F1 F2 F3 CD BR AD

F1, F2, F3: Microoperation fields

CD: Condition for branching
BR: Branch field
AD: Address field

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 Microinstruction Fields
F1 Microoperation Symbol F2 Microoperation Symbol
000 None NOP 000 None NOP
001 AC  AC + DR ADD 001 AC  AC - DR SUB
010 AC  0 CLRAC 010 AC  AC  DR OR
011 AC  AC + 1 INCAC 011 AC  AC  DR AND
100 AC  DR DRTAC 100 DR  M[AR] READ
101 AR  DR(0-10) DRTAR 101 DR  AC ACTDR
110 AR  PC PCTAR 110 DR  DR + 1 INCDR
111 M[AR]  DR WRITE 111 DR(0-10)  PC PCTDR

F3 Microoperation Symbol
000 None NOP
001 AC  AC  DR XOR
010 AC  AC’ COM
011 AC  shl AC SHL
100 AC  shr AC SHR
101 PC  PC + 1 INCPC
110 PC  AR ARTPC
111 Reserved

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Microinstruction Fields

CD Condition Symbol Comments

00 Always = 1 U Unconditional branch
01 DR(15) I Indirect address bit
10 AC(15) S Sign bit of AC
11 AC = 0 Z Zero value in AC

BR Symbol Function
00 JMP CAR  AD if condition = 1
CAR  CAR + 1 if condition = 0
01 CALL CAR  AD, SBR  CAR + 1 if condition = 1
CAR  CAR + 1 if condition = 0
10 RET CAR  SBR (Return from subroutine)
11 MAP CAR(2-5)  DR(11-14), CAR(0,1,6)  0

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 Symbolic Microinstruction
 Sample Format Label: Micro-ops CD BR AD

 Label may be empty or may specify symbolic address

terminated with colon

 Micro-ops consists of 1, 2, or 3 symbols separated by commas

 CD one of {U, I, S, Z}
U: Unconditional Branch
I: Indirect address bit
S: Sign of AC
Z: Zero value in AC

 BR one of {JMP, CALL, RET, MAP}

 AD one of {Symbolic address, NEXT, empty}

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 Fetch Routine
 Fetch routine
- Read instruction from memory
- Decode instruction and update PC
Microinstructions for fetch routine:
AR PC
DR  M[AR], PC  PC + 1
AR  DR(0-10), CAR(2-5)  DR(11-14), CAR(0,1,6)  0

Symbolic microprogram for fetch routine:

ORG 64
FETCH: PCTAR U JMP NEXT
READ, INCPC U JMP NEXT
DRTAR U MAP

Binary microporgram for fetch routine:

Binary
address F1 F2 F3 CD BR AD
1000000 110 000 000 00 00 1000001
1000001 000 100 101 00 00 1000010
1000010 101 000 000 00 11 0000000

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 Symbolic Microprogram
• Control memory: 128 20-bit words
• First 64 words: Routines for 16 machine instructions
• Last 64 words: Used for other purpose (e.g., fetch routine and other subroutines)
• Mapping: OP-code XXXX into 0XXXX00, first address for 16 routines are
0(0 0000 00), 4(0 0001 00), 8, 12, 16, 20, ..., 60

Partial Symbolic Microprogram

Label Microops CD BR AD
ORG 0
ADD: NOP I CALL INDRCT
READ U JMP NEXT
ADD U JMP FETCH
ORG 4
BRANCH: NOP S JMP OVER
NOP U JMP FETCH
OVER: NOP I CALL INDRCT
ARTPC U JMP FETCH
ORG 8
STORE: NOP I CALL INDRCT
ACTDR U JMP NEXT
WRITE U JMP FETCH
ORG 12
EXCHANGE: NOP I CALL INDRCT
READ U JMP NEXT
ACTDR, DRTAC U JMP NEXT
WRITE U JMP FETCH
ORG 64
FETCH: PCTAR U JMP NEXT
READ, INCPC U JMP NEXT
DRTAR U MAP
INDRCT: READ U JMP NEXT
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U RET
Organization 22
 Binary Microprogram
Address Binary Microinstruction
Micro Routine Decimal Binary F1 F2 F3 CD BR
AD
ADD 0 0000000 000 000 000 01 01 1000011
1 0000001 000 100 000 00 00 0000010
2 0000010 001 000 000 00 00
1000000
3 0000011 000 000 000 00 00
1000000
BRANCH 4 0000100 000 000 000 10 00 0000110
5 0000101 000 000 000 00 00 1000000
6 0000110 000 000 000 01 01 1000011
7 0000111 000 000 110 00 00 1000000
STORE 8 0001000 000 000 000 01 01 1000011
9 0001001 000 101 000 00 00 0001010
10 0001010 111 000 000 00 00
1000000
11 0001011 000 000 000 00 00
1000000
EXCHANGE 12 0001100 000 000 000 01 01 1000011
13 0001101 001 000 000 00 00
0001110
14 0001110 100 101 000 00 00
0001111
15 0001111 111 000 000 00 00
1000000
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 Design of Control Unit
microoperation fields
F1 F2 F3

3 x 8 decoder 3 x 8 decoder 3 x 8 decoder

7 6 54 3 21 0 7 6 54 3 21 0 7 6 54 3 21 0

AND
ADD AC
Arithmetic
logic and DR
DRTAC shift unit
PCTAR

From From
DRTAR

PC DR(0-10) Load
AC

Select 0 1
Multiplexers

Load Clock
AR

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Microprogram Sequencer
External
(MAP)

L
I0 3 2 1 0
Input Load
I1 logic S1 MUX1 SBR
T S0

1 Incrementer
I MUX2 Test
S
Z Select
Clock CAR

Control memory

Microops CD BR AD
... ...

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 Input Logic for Microprogram
Sequencer
1 L L(load SBR with PC)
From I MUX2 Test
CPU S T for subroutine Call
BR field Input
Z Select I0 logic
of CS I1
S0 for next address
S1 selection
CD Field of CS

Input Logic
I1I0T Meaning Source of Address S1S0 L

000 In-Line CAR+1 00 0

001 JMP CS(AD) 01 0
010 In-Line CAR+1 00 0
011 CALL CS(AD) and SBR <- CAR+1 01 1
10x RET SBR 10 0
11x MAP DR(11-14) 11 0

S1 = I1
S0 = I0I1 + I1’T
L = I1’I0T
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