Decimal to BCD

For the purpose of designing digital systems like computers and calculators, the conversion of decimal values to Binary Coded Decimal (BCD) is a common practice in the field of digital electronics. Each decimal digit is represented by a four-bit binary integer in BCD, a way of encoding decimal values using a binary code.

It's vital to remember that BCD can only represent decimal digits; it cannot represent negative numbers or values with a decimal point. Additionally, BCD needs a 4-bit representation for each decimal digit, making it more precise than normal binary representation but requiring more storage capacity.

What is a Decimal to BCD Converter?

A decimal (base-10) number is converted into its equivalent binary-coded decimal form using a digital electronic circuit or algorithm known as a Decimal to Binary-Coded Decimal (BCD) converter. Each decimal digit (0-9) is represented by a 4-bit nibble in the binary-encoded representation of integer values known as BCD.

For example, in BCD:

• Decimal 0 is represented as 0000
• Decimal 1 is represented as 0001
• Decimal 2 is represented as 0010
• Decimal 9 is represented as 1001

Applications requiring decimal arithmetic, such as those in digital displays, calculators, and other devices that must communicate with users that use base-10 numbers, are the main use cases for BCD.

The decimal number is divided into its component digits, each of which is then converted to its 4-bit binary equivalent. Combinational logic circuits like AND gates, OR gates, and flip-flops are frequently used for this.

Who Uses Decimal to BCD Converter?

Converters from decimal to binary-coded decimal (BCD) are used in many electronic systems and applications where numerical data processing is required. Here are some examples of potential users of these converters:

Digital Display Systems: BCD converters are frequently found in electronic equipment such digital clocks, calculators, and seven-segment displays. A BCD converter aids in effectively operating the display, which is necessary when these displays frequently need to display decimal figures.

Embedded Systems and Microcontrollers: Many embedded systems and microcontrollers require a means of interacting with human-readable numerical input or output. When processing such data, BCD conversion may be an essential step.

Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs): For simpler interfacing with digital systems, some ADCs offer output in BCD format.

Scientific Instruments: BCD may be used for processing and displaying measurements in equipment like digital multimeters, which are used to measure a variety of electrical properties.

Telecommunications Systems: BCD conversion may be used to process call-related data in some telecommunications applications.

Automated Testing Equipment: Automated testing equipment may process and display test results using BCD. This equipment is used to test electronic devices or components.

How Does Decimal to BCD Work?

In our converter, converting is quite simple. simply enter your decimal into the "Decimal" slot before clicking then "Convert to Binary" button.

And technically the decimal to binary-coded decimal converter divides a decimal digit into nibbles, and then turns each nibble into a BCD. The digits are then divided to create the BCD.

How do you write 25 in BCD?

25 as a number will be written as 11001 in form of BCD. You can convert any number to BCD just through simple click.

What is the BCD of 15?

The BCD representation of 15 is 0001 0101.

What is the BCD of 23?

The Binary-Coded Decimal (BCD) representation of the decimal number 25 is 0010 0011.

How do I Convert decimal to BCD?

Converting decimal to BCD (binary code decimal) can be easily done through LambdaTest's free decimal to BCD converter. Just paste your decimal & click convert to binary.

What is the BCD of 42?

The Binary-Coded Decimal (BCD) representation of the decimal number 42 is 0100 0010.

Why BCD is called 8421?

BCD is different from converting a decimal number to binary. When a decimal number is converted to binary, each digit is represented by a set of binary digits. In contrast, when a decimal number is represented in BCD, each digit is represented by its own binary code.

BCD is called 8421 code because each decimal digit is represented by a set of four binary digits, with the least significant digit being placed in the rightmost position. In this code, the binary value of each decimal digit is represented by the weight of the corresponding bit, where the rightmost bit has a weight of 1, the second rightmost bit has a weight of 2, the third rightmost bit has a weight of 4, and the leftmost bit has a weight of 8. The name 8421 code refers to the weight of the bit positions, where the rightmost bit has a weight of 1, the second rightmost bit has a weight of 2, the third rightmost bit has a weight of 4, and the leftmost bit has a weight of 8.

It's also worth noting that 8421 code is one of the most common type of BCD, but there are other BCD codes such as 2421, 7421, 74LS42, 74LS47, 74LS90 etc which uses different weight for the bits, but all of them follows the same concept of representing decimal digits with a set of binary digits.