Logic Circuits

Logic circuits are used extensively on aircraft to

control numerous systems.
Logic is a branch of mathematics which uses
Boolean Algebra to provide rules for the way
in which logic is used.

Logic is based on two complimentary states, for

example:

On or Off

True or False

1 or 0
A logic circuit can be created using discrete
diodes and/or transistors. However, it is more
common to use an integrated circuit to
perform the required logic function.
The circuit which performs a logic function is
usually called a Gate.
It is usual in digital circuits to describe the two
logic states as “0” and “1” which represents
two different voltage levels. In order that a
particular voltage is recognised as either a 0 or
1, the voltage must be within set limits.
0 1 0 1
5
V
2 Forbidden
V
0.8 Zone
0 V
V
For TTL logic gates a logic 0 is a voltage between 0 and
0.8V. A logic 1 is a voltage between 2 and 5V. Voltages
between 0.8 and 2V fall into the Forbidden Zone, where
the voltage can be interpreted as either a 0 or 1
Positive & Negative Logic

A positive logic system uses the higher voltage

as a logic 1, a negative logic system uses the
lower voltage as a logic 1.

Unless specified, positive logic is used

throughout this module
AND Gate
The AND logic function can be thought of as a
number of On/Off switches arranged in series

Switch Switch
A B
If we take an Open switch as Logic 0 and a
Closed switch as Logic 1 then we can create a
Truth Table for all the possible combinations of
switch
Switch A
positions
Switch B Output
An AND gate only
0 0 0
0 1 0
gives a Logic 1 output
1 0 0 when all the switches
1 1 1 are closed
AND Gate
The circuit symbol for the AND gate is shown
below A
Output
B

The operation of the circuit can be described

by the Boolean Algebra expression
Output = A.B
Which reads as:
Output equals A AND B

Note: the dot is sometimes omitted and the

expression is:
Output = AB
 OR
Gate
The OR logic function can be thought of as a
number of On/Off switches arranged in parallel
Switch
A

Switch
B

Switch A Switch B Output

An OR gate gives a
0 0 0
0 1 1
Logic 1 output when
1 0 1 any of the switches
1 1 1 are closed
OR
Gate
The circuit symbol for the OR gate is shown
below

The operation of the circuit can be described

by the Boolean Algebra expression
Output = A+B
Which reads as:
Output equals A OR B
NOT Gate
A NOT gate is an inverter – a Logic 1 input
gives a Logic 0 output and vice versa

Alternatively, the output can be A

expressed as
The bar over the A denotes the NOT function
Input Output
0 1
1 0

Note: The small circle in the inverter symbol is

called a “bubble”
NAND Gate
If we add an inverter to the output of an AND
gate we create a NAND gate

The symbol for the

NAND gate is shown
opposite
A B C
0 0 1
0 1 1
1 0 1 C = NOT A AND B
1 1 0
NOR Gate
If we add an inverter to the output of an OR
gate we create a NOR gate

The symbol for the

NOR gate is shown
opposite
A B C
0 0 1
0 1 0 C = NOT A OR B
1 0 0
1 1 0
Exclusive OR Gate
Another common logic gate is the Exclusive OR

The symbol for the

Exclusive OR gate is
shown opposite

A B C
0 0 0
0 1 1 C = A Exclusive OR
1 0 1 B
1 1 0
Exclusive NOR
Gate
Adding a NOT gate to the output of an
Exclusive OR gate will create an Exclusive NOR
gate

The symbol for the

Exclusive NOR gate is
shown opposite

A B C
0 0 1
0 1 0 C = NOT A Exclusive
1 0 0 OR B
1 1 1
Simple logic circuits can be created from diodes
and transistors.

More complex combinational logic circuits are

more effectively created using Integrated
Circuits
 5V
R1

Output A B C
0 0 1
Q1
A 0 1 1
1 0 1
1 1 0
Q2
B

Discrete TTL (Transistor-Transistor Logic)

NAND gate
The number of possible input combinations to a
gate is given by 2n where n is the number of
inputs
2 inputs = 22 combinations = 4
3 inputs = 23 combinations = 8

A 3 input gate will have the following input

combinations:
A B C Output
0 0 0 0
A
0 0 1 0
B Outpu
0 1 0 0 C t
0 1 1 0
1 0 0 0
1 0 1 0
1 1 0 0
1 1 1 1
 Typical Logic Integrated Circuits

Quad 2-Input Quad 2-Input

AND NAND

Quad 2-Input OR Dual 4-Input

 Combinational Logic
So far we have looked at individual logic gates,
however gates can be combined together to
create more complex and useful circuits.
The most common Integrated Circuit logic chip
is the NAND gate – here are some examples of
what can be achieved with these devices...
 Combinational Logic

By shorting the inputs

together, we create
an inverter

Input 1 Input 2 Output

0 0 1 A B
0 1 1 0 1
1 0 1 1 0
1 1 0 Inverter Truth
Full NAND Truth Table Table
 Combinational Logic
By inverting the inputs to a
NAND gate we create an OR
gate

Expanded
Circuit
A B C D E F A B F
0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1
1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1
1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 1

Full truth Table OR Truth

 Combinational Logic Exercise

Which logic function does this circuit perform?

 Combinational Logic Exercise
A C D
B
Which logic function does this circuit perform?
A B C D
0 0 1 0
0 1 1 0
1 0 1 0
1 1 0 1

The two inverters “cancel out” leaving an AND

gate
 Time Delay Elements
Complex logic circuits may contain many
gates, with the output from one gate acting as
the input to other gates.
Integrated circuits cannot change their output
instantaneously and have a finite response
time (called a Propagation Delay).
As it takes different times for a signal to travel
through different paths, there is a possibility
of incorrect circuit operation if one signal
arrives before another – this is called a Race
Hazard.
To prevent race hazards, a Time Delay
Element can be included to deliberately slow
down a signal and ensure that the circuit
 Time Delay Elements (Example)
A

In this circuit, the AND gate has inputs of A

and NOT A. A NOT A Output
0 1 0
1 0 0

However, the NOT gate has a propagation

delay which means that for a brief period the
AND gate is not receiving the correct signals.
This logic circuit should always give a Logic 0
output
Time Delay Elements (Example)
Input A changes state
A from 0 to 1

NOT A changes state

NOT A
from 1 to 0, after a short
delay

Output The inputs to the AND

gate are momentarily
both 1 and the gate
gives a 1 output
 Time Delay Elements (Example)
A 5m
S
Output

By including a time delay element into the

circuit, the race hazard is eliminated.
The appropriate time delay element must be
selected to match the propagation delay of the
gate
Time delay elements are available with a
variety of outputs , as2mS
shown below.

Input 5m 5mS Outputs

S
3mS