Author(s): Amirul Hakim Zainal and Farah Nadia Rahman

Abstract: Low-power digital counters are fundamental building blocks in modern electronic systems, enabling event counting, timing, and control functions in applications ranging from portable devices to embedded control units. With the continued scaling of CMOS technology, power dissipation has become a critical design constraint, particularly for battery-operated and energy-constrained systems. This article presents the design and performance analysis of a simple low-power digital counter implemented using CMOS logic, focusing on minimizing dynamic and static power consumption while maintaining reliable operation. The proposed counter architecture employs optimized transistor sizing, reduced switching activity, and efficient clocking strategies to achieve power savings without increasing design complexity. Functional verification and performance evaluation are carried out through logical analysis and simulation-based metrics, including power consumption, propagation delay, and power-delay product. Comparative assessment with conventional counter designs highlights the effectiveness of the proposed approach in reducing overall power dissipation under identical operating conditions. The analysis demonstrates that careful CMOS-level design choices can significantly improve energy efficiency even in simple sequential circuits. The results confirm that low-power optimization at the circuit level remains essential despite advances in fabrication technology. This work provides a concise reference for students, researchers, and practicing engineers seeking to understand low-power CMOS counter design principles and their practical performance implications, and it establishes a foundation for extending the approach to more complex sequential and synchronous digital systems. Furthermore, the research emphasizes design trade-offs between power, speed, and area, discusses scalability across voltage and frequency ranges, and outlines implementation considerations relevant to educational laboratories and low-cost industrial applications, ensuring that the presented methodology remains accessible, reproducible, and adaptable for future research and practical deployment scenarios. These insights support informed decision-making during early design stages and encourage the integration of low-power principles into foundational digital electronics curricula worldwide for sustainable and efficient system development globally.

DOI: 10.33545/27075923.2026.v7.i1a.118

Pages: 06-10 | Views: 85 | Downloads: 40

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