Counting#

Hardware can count without software.

Chain toggling flip-flops together and the arrangement counts edges — no processor, no code. Counters divide frequencies, generate addresses, measure intervals, and sequence events. The distinction between ripple and synchronous counting is the first place timing and propagation delay stop being academic and start determining whether a design works.

Sections#

• Ripple Counters — Simple asynchronous chains, and the delay penalty they carry.
• Synchronous Counters — All stages clocked together for clean, fast counting.
• Frequency Dividers — Using counters to derive slower clocks from a fast one.
• Ring & Johnson Counters — Shift-register counters that trade code density for glitch-free decoding.