Manual Clock
Inputs
| Pin | Type | Description |
|---|
This element has no inputs.
Outputs
| Pin | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Tick | bit | 1 while the Tick button is pressed, 0 otherwise |
How It Works
The Manual Clock is a user-operated clock generator. Clicking the element's ▶ Tick button produces one complete clock pulse:
- Button press → Tick output goes to 1 (one simulation step). This is the rising edge (0→1). Sequential elements capture data on this edge.
- Next step → Tick output returns to 0. This is the falling edge (1→0). In tickMode, registers latch data on this edge.
Each button click advances your circuit by exactly one clock cycle. This is essential for step-by-step debugging of sequential circuits — you can observe the state of every register and signal after each tick.
Unlike the automatic Clock element, the Manual Clock gives you full control over timing. No automatic toggling occurs — the output stays at 0 until you press the button again.
Usage
The Manual Clock is available in levels that require step-by-step clocking:
- Level 15: manually step through the Decoder to verify each opcode's output signals.
- Level 29: debug the CPU by clocking one instruction at a time and observing register and memory states.
Connect the Tick output to the Clock input of all sequential elements in your circuit (registers, program counter, LFSR). Each press advances the entire circuit by one step.