Groups of flip-flops store data or count pulses.
Registers store multi-bit words; shift registers move bits serially (SIPO, PISO); counters (ripple/asynchronous, synchronous, up/down, ring, Johnson) count clock pulses. Modulo-N by reset or presets. Applications: frequency division, timing, serial communication.
A 4-bit counter counts 0–15 then wraps.
Registers and counters hold and count data, which is needed for timers, addresses, shift operations and data buffers.
Groups of flip-flops store data or count pulses.
Registers and counters hold and count data, which is needed for timers, addresses, shift operations and data buffers.
A chain of flip-flops where data shifts one position on each clock, which is used to convert between serial and parallel data.
A counter in which all flip-flops share one clock, so each output changes at the same time and glitches are avoided.
Typical applications include building a ripple counter for a frequency divider, storing a byte of sensor data in a register and shifting serial data into a parallel register with a shift register.
Study "Flip-flops" first (topic 43 of 104 in Electronics & Embedded). It covers the groundwork this topic builds on.
Synchronous counters avoid glitches. Divide-by-N. Gray code counters.
A 4-bit counter counts 0–15 then wraps.
The next topic is "Finite state machines", which builds directly on this one.
It is classed as Intermediate in Electronics & Embedded (topic 44 of 104). It is an intermediate topic. Work through the beginner topics in Electronics & Embedded first.
Want to practise? Open the interactive course for quick checks, quizzes, simulations and progress tracking.