A signal from another clock domain can change inside the receiving flop's setup-hold window, and the flop then resolves late to an unpredictable value. This section builds the full defence: the metastability mechanism and its MTBF model, the two-flop synchroniser with its rules, why words need protocols, and how to choose a pattern.
Topic | Lessons | After it you can... |
|---|---|---|
4 | Explain metastability, state the MTBF model, and choose two versus three stages. | |
4 | Apply the synchroniser rules, judge levels versus pulses, and model the window in simulation. | |
4 | Explain tearing and skew, and pick Gray, handshake, FIFO, load pulse, or RAM. | |
4 | Map any crossing type and clock ratio to a pattern and defend its cost. |
Because every later argument rests on it: why synchronisers have their shape, why buses need protocols, and what the tools are actually checking for.