Binary Storage and Registers

In a digital electronic system, binary storage and registers are most elementary components employed for storage and manipulation of binary data and information. Binary storage refers to the technique for storing data and information in binary format, i.e. in the form of 0s and 1s. Register is a most basic storage unit in a digital system that can store binary data and information.

In this tutorial, we will explore binary storage and registers along with their importance in the field of digital electronics. Let’s begin with the basic introduction of binary storage.

What is Binary Storage?

A storage technique in which the information is represented and stored in the binary form, i.e. using 0s and 1s, is referred to as binary storage. Binary storage is an important concept in digital electronics, as all the digital systems operate using binary logic.

Binary storage can be implemented using various types of storage devices like semiconductor circuits, magnetic tapes, optical disks, etc. Overall, binary storage forms the foundation for storing and manipulating digital information.

Binary Storage Technologies

Depending on the characteristics and applications, there are various types of binary storage technologies. Some most commonly used binary storage technologies are explained below −

• Semiconductor Electronics Circuits − Semiconductor storage devices are made up of electronic components like transistors. We can use these storage devices to store binary information. Transistor or any other electronic component has two states namely, ON and OFF, that represent binary 1 and 0 respectively. Hence, semiconductor memory devices are used for binary storage.

• Magnetic Media − Magnetic media like magnetic tape, hard disks, etc. can also be used for binary storage. This technology utilizes magnetic materials to store binary information. In magnetic storage devices, the binary state either 0 or 1 is represented by magnetic field polarity, i.e. one magnetic polarity represents the binary value 1 while the opposite polarity represents the binary value 0. Magnetic memory devices are widely used for permanent storage of digital information.

• Optical Disks − Optical storage devices are made up of light sensitive materials and plastic. The light sensitive materials stores information in the binary form. A laser is used to read and write the optical storage devices, where the variations in reflected laser light represents the binary values 0 and 1.

Overall, binary storage is the most fundamental process in any digital electronics system that allows for efficient and reliable storage of data and information.

Binary Storage Operations

In binary storage, the two main storage operations are involved namely, write (input) and read (output).

• The write operation in the binary storage specifies the process of inputting binary data to a storage device.

• On the other hand, the read operation represents the process of retrieval of binary data from a binary storage device.

Therefore, in a binary storage system, the read and write are the two major operations used for data transfer in digital systems and allowing the exchange of binary information among different digital devices.

What is a Binary Storage Register?

In a digital electronic system, the binary storage register is a fundamental storage unit used to store and process binary data. A binary storage register consists of a collection of flip-flops, where, each flip-flop can stores 1-bit of information in binary form.

Binary storage register is the most elementary block of a digital system’s memory unit and plays a vital role in data storage and processing operations.

The size or storage capacity of a binary storage register is determined by the number of flip flops used in the logic circuit. For example, if a register consists of 8 flip-flops, then its storage capacity will be of 8-bits, for 16 flip-flop, the storage capacity will be of 16 bits, and so on.

The block diagram of a 4-bit binary storage register is illustrated in the following figure −

The most important point to note about the binary storage register is that it stores data temporarily. Registers are mainly used to store small piece of binary data which are required during processing and executing of instructions.

In a binary storage register, the read and write operations are executed through input and output data lines, where the binary data is written into the register through data input lines and the stored data is retrieved from the register through the data output lines.

Binary storage registers are very important components of a digital system, as they play a crucial roles in execution of various operations. They provide a temporary space to store binary data and instructions required for processing and other computation activities.

Types of Binary Storage Registers

Some common types of binary storage registers used in various digital systems are listed below −

• Serial-In Serial-Out (SISO) Register − A type of binary storage register that inputs and outputs binary data in a serial fashion, i.e. one bit of binary data at a time is termed as serial-in serial-out binary register. This type of binary storage register consists of a single data input line and a single data output line.

• Serial-In Parallel-Out (SIPO) Register − This type of binary storage register accepts data in a serial manner (one bit at a time) and outputs data in a parallel manner (all bits at a time). It has only one data input line, but output lines equal to number of bits.

• Parallel-In Serial-Out (PISO) Register − In this binary register, the binary data is input in a parallel manner and output in a serial manner. Hence, this binary storage register consists of multiple input lines, but only one output line.

• Parallel-In Parallel-Out (PIPO) Register − A parallel-in parallel-out register consists of multiple input and output lines for storage and retrieval of all bits of binary data at the same time.

Conclusion

The binary storage and binary storage registers are two important components in a digital system, allowing for efficient and reliable storage and manipulation of data in binary form. Binary storage registers form the foundation of binary storage in a digital system’s memory unit.