Computing Fundamentals Tutor Registers 03: Tri-State Buffers

This video discusses the use of Tri-State Buffers to mediate bus access for registers and other components.

It is one of a series on registers, digital circuits which can remember binary numbers. They are one of the building blocks of CPUs and also form the basis of digital memory banks. This video introduces a new logic gate, the tri-state buffer, effectively a buffer with enable. When disabled, the buffer does not determine the state of the wire at the output. It's use is common in mediating bus access from multiple components, in order to avoid connecting together the output from two or more gates, a state called "bus contention".

This series in turn is part of a larger series that charts the creation of a simulated 4-Bit CPU, with clear explanations of what is happening at every step of the way. Following this Super-Series is a great way to gain a strong understanding of the hardware that underpins computers, and is a great learning experience for anyone interested in computing as a career or hobby.

Roadmap:

Understanding the basics of digital electronics is fundamental to the understanding of computer hardware, and this software allows you to explore that without the need for hardware, soldering irons and the such like.