Simplifying and integrating experiments of hardware curriculums

Hardware curriculums are important specialized courses not only in computer science education, but also in electronic, mechanical, automation and other related engineering professional education. As these courses request difficult theoretical knowledge, strong engineering practice and high technological application, students unable to easily grasp the knowledge. In this paper we propose the construction of a series of simple experiments for the hardware curriculums. The experiments integrate knowledge such as digital circuits, computer organization, computer interface, assembly language, EDA technology, etc. We build a toy CPU and an interface chip, which can control a light-emitting diode long light, blinking on or turn off. Experimental results reveal that our idea is feasible and efficient. The education reform can bring a positive effect on improving teaching quality, enhancing students´ learning interests and training student´s research ability.