Treat your clock kindly...
“Avoid gating the clock” Why?
- Clock is the fastest signal in a circuit (by 2×)
- Clock may not restart cleanly
- Some flip-flops may slip a cycle
- Gates delays vary from part to part
Avoid changing the clock frequency in high-speed systems
Your strategy
- Ensure the cleanest clock signal possible
- Synchronize everything to clock as soon as possible
Don’t violate these rules unless you know what you are doing