Hardware C (HWC)

Abstract

Hardware C (HWC) is an original hardware description language designed to imitate the syntax of the C family of languages. When HWC code is compiled, a parts list called the wiring diagram is created, which describes the wires and the relations between wires that comprise the user’s code. In this project, the parser and the compiler for HWC were created, including a semantic analyzer to produce said wiring diagram. This paper discusses the grammar and syntax of HWC, provides example HWC code, and explains the various stages of compilation HWC undergoes. Having explained HWC in its entirety, the practical and pedagogical applications of HWC are discussed. It is believed that HWC’s C-styled design will help students understand how the CPU and various other hardware components function.