Power Consumption
/ˈpaʊər kənˈsʌmpʃən/
noun — "the rate at which a system uses electrical energy."
Clock Cycle
/ˈklɒk ˈsaɪkəl/
noun — "the fundamental timing interval of a synchronous system."
A Clock Cycle is the smallest repeating unit of time that governs operation in a synchronous digital system. It is defined by a clock signal, typically a periodic electrical waveform, that coordinates when components are allowed to change state. Each clock cycle represents one complete period of this signal, and it serves as the heartbeat that synchronizes computation, data movement, and control throughout a system.
Cycle Power
/ˈsaɪkəl ˈpaʊər/
noun — "energy consumption measured or managed per execution cycle."
Cycle Power refers to the amount of electrical energy consumed by a digital system during a single operational cycle, typically a clock cycle. In computing and electronic design, a cycle represents one complete tick of a system clock, during which logic transitions occur, instructions advance, or state changes propagate through hardware. Cycle power therefore expresses how much power is drawn each time the system performs its fundamental unit of work.
Digital Logic
/ˈdɪdʒɪtl ˈlɒdʒɪk/
noun — "fundamental principles governing binary circuits."
Application-Specific Integrated Circuit
/ˈeɪsɪk/
noun — "custom chip designed for a specific task."
Hardware Description Language
/ˈeɪtʃ diː ˈɛl/
noun — "language for modeling and designing digital hardware."
Verilog
/ˈvɛrɪlɒɡ/
noun — "hardware description language for digital design."
Field-Programmable Gate Array
/ˌɛf piː ˌdʒiː ˈeɪ/
noun — "reconfigurable digital logic hardware."
Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter
/ˈjuːɑːrt/
noun — "asynchronous serial link for device communication."
Pulse-Width Modulation
/ˌpiːˌdʌbəljuːˈɛm/
noun — "modulates digital signal duty to control analog behavior."
PWM, short for Pulse-Width Modulation, is a technique used to encode analog signal levels or control power delivered to electronic devices by varying the duty cycle of a digital square wave. It allows a digital output, such as a microcontroller pin, to simulate analog voltage levels by controlling the ratio of time the signal is high versus low within a fixed period.
Technically, a PWM signal is defined by two main parameters: