Synchronous and Asynchronous Counter - mbits-mirafra/digitalDesignCourse GitHub Wiki

In digital electronics, a counter is a device that is used to count the number of events or occurrences of a particular signal. Counters can be classified into two main types: synchronous and asynchronous counters.

A synchronous counter is a counter that uses a common clock signal to synchronize the counting operations of all its individual stages. Each stage of the counter is triggered by a particular edge of the clock signal, and the outputs of each stage are fed into the next stage. The propagation delay of each stage is carefully controlled to ensure that all stages are triggered at the same time, so that the counter operates in a synchronized and orderly manner.

An asynchronous counter, on the other hand, is a counter that does not use a common clock signal to synchronize its stages. Instead, each stage is triggered by the output of the previous stage, and the output of each stage is fed into the next stage. As a result, the timing of each stage is not controlled by a common clock signal, and the propagation delay of each stage can vary, which can result in timing errors or glitches in the output.