Mastering Verilog: Implementing a 2-to-4 Decoder

Welcome back to our Verilog series! In this blog post, we’ll explore the implementation of a 2-to-4 Decoder in Verilog. A decoder is an essential digital circuit used to convert binary information from `n` input lines to a maximum of ‘2^n’ unique output lines.

Understanding how to implement a 2-to-4 decoder is fundamental for designing more complex digital systems.

Below are the Verilog codes for a 2-to-4 decoder using two different modeling styles: Dataflow and Behavioral.

1] Dataflow Modeling:

In dataflow modeling, we use bitwise operations to generate the output lines based on the input and enable signals.

module decoder_2_4(y, i, en);
 input [1:0] i; // 2-bit input
 input en; // Enable signal
 output [3:0] y; // 4-bit output
assign y = {en & ~i[1] & ~i[0], en & ~i[1] & i[0], en & i[1] & ~i[0], en & i[1] & i[0]};
endmodule

Explanation:
‘assign y = {en & ~i[1] & ~i[0], en & ~i[1] & i[0], en & i[1] & ~i[0], en & i[1] & i[0]};’ creates a 4-bit output where each bit corresponds to the decoded value based on the input ‘i’ and enable signal ‘en’.

2] Behavioral Modeling:

In behavioral modeling, we use an `always` block with a `case` statement to describe the decoder’s functionality in a more descriptive manner.

module decoder_2_4(y, i, en);
 input [1:0] i; // 2-bit input
 input en; // Enable signal
 output reg [3:0] y; // 4-bit output
always @(*) begin
 if (en) begin
 case (i)
 2'b00: y = 4'b0001; // Output 0001 for input 00
 2'b01: y = 4'b0010; // Output 0010 for input 01
 2'b10: y = 4'b0100; // Output 0100 for input 10
 2'b11: y = 4'b1000; // Output 1000 for input 11
 default: y = 4'b0000; // Default case to handle unexpected values
 endcase
 end else begin
 y = 4'b0000; // Output 0000 when enable is not active
 end
 end
endmodule

Explanation:

• The always@(*) block ensures that ‘y’ is updated whenever there is a change in ‘i’ or ‘en’.
• The ‘case’ statement selects one of the four outputs based on the value of ‘i’, while the ‘if’ statement ensures the outputs are active only when ‘en’ is high.

Conclusion

These Verilog implementations showcase how to model a 2-to-4 Decoder using different design approaches: dataflow and behavioral. Understanding these modeling styles will help you design and implement decoders effectively in your digital circuits.

What’s Next?

Explore these decoder implementations in your Verilog projects and experiment with variations to deepen your understanding. In the next post, we’ll dive into more advanced digital circuits and their Verilog implementations.

Happy Coding!