Module 5 Review: Datapath and Control

A compact review of data routes, control decisions, widths, hierarchy, and structural warnings.

Updated 2026-07-22

Module 5 joins separate RTL blocks into a system. The datapath stores, moves, and transforms values; the controller decides which route and operation are active.

Use this review sequence:

  1. Follow the data from source register, through each MUX or ALU, to the destination.
  2. Check that every connected bus has the intended width.
  3. Name the control signal that selects each route or enables each write.
  4. Inspect module port maps for swapped, missing, or unclear connections.
  5. Treat unused, undriven, and width lint warnings as evidence worth investigating.

When a result is wrong, ask whether the wrong value traveled through a correct route or the correct value traveled through the wrong route. The first points toward datapath logic or width; the second points toward control.