4B/5B Encoding Simulation

written by Teresa Carrigan

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THINGS TO NOTICE

Some encoding schemes are prone to loss of synchronization due to too many time slices at the same voltage level. What is the greatest number of time slices that can be produced by 4B/5B-encoding?

If the average voltage is not zero, then there is a DC component to the signal. This can cause signal distortion and possibly even damage equipment. Does 4B/5B have this problem?

A magnetic disk can store more bits per inch if there are fewer transitions between high and low signal (positive and negative magnetic charge). How many transitions does 4B/5B usually have, compared to other encoding schemes? Would this make a suitable encoding for use with magnetic disks, or should it be restricted to use with networks?

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THINGS TO TRY

Set slow-motion to 0.3, click random, and then click go.

Set the encoding choice box to the type of encoding you want to drill, then click setup. Attempt one bit at a time on paper, and then click the step button to check that you did that bit correctly.

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Applets on this website were written by Teresa Carrigan in 2004, for use in computer science courses at Blackburn College, with the exception of the Fireworks applet. The applets made with NetLogo require Java 1.4.1 or higher to run. The applets made with NetBeans require Java 1.4.2 or higher to run. Applets might not run on Windows 95 or Mac OS 8 or 9. You may obtain the latest Java plugin from Sun's Java site.