Experiment 7 - The 4-bit Down Counter

By adding more flip-flops in the chain of the down counter you get a 4-bit down counter...

In the circuit diagram you can see that you have continued the chain of flip-flops...

Circuit diagram of a 4-bit down counter.

Illustration States of the 4-bit down counter.

Each time you press the pushbutton switch S1, the counter counts down from 1111 (decimal 15) to 0000 (decimal 0), before it falls back to 1111.

Circuit 4-bit down counter. (Enlarge)

You can expand this chain to any size. However, this has disadvantages, as you find out in the next experiment...