Digital Logic Simulator

A logic simulator is a computer program that allows designers and experimenters to conduct
virtual tests of complexdigital circuitrybefore working with anyhardware. The user can interact
with the program to find a component arrangement that will perform a desired task. Once a
suitable design has been found, the logic simulator makes it easy to optimize,debug, and modify
the circuitry.
All digital systems comprise multiplelogic gates, often in vast numbers. Some large or
sophisticated systems also contain smaller, self-contained digital devices suchflip
flops,multiplexers,oscillators, integrators, differentiators, and counters. Each smaller device plays
a unique and vital role in the complete system. Before the advent of logic simulators, engineers
had to design digital devices and systems by going through a tedious combination of trial-anderror hardware manipulation and educated guesswork.
Logic simulators vary from vendor to vendor, but all offer intuitiveGUIs(graphical user
interfaces)includingtoolbars, drag and drop, color coding, and online help. Some programs also
offer animation, signal tracing, and alternative logic-gate interconnection options. On the
downside, logic simulators run far more slowly than the actual systems do (in some cases millions
of times more slowly). Logic simulators can also place significant demands on computer resources
because of the vast number of parallel hardware processes that take place in any nontrivial digital
system.