Your First 5 Minutes with DigiSim.io: A Beginner's Journey

Digital Logic 101

📅 January 2026 • ⏱️ 5 min read • 🎓 Absolute Beginner

Never touched digital logic before? Perfect! This tutorial takes you from zero to a working circuit in just 5 minutes. No prior experience needed—just curiosity and a web browser.

What You'll Build

By the end of this tutorial, you'll build this:

A simple switch controlling a light—the "Hello World" of digital logic!

It's simple, but it teaches fundamental concepts: inputs, outputs, and the flow of digital signals. Let's go!

The 5-Minute Journey

1 Open DigiSim.io 30 seconds

Go to digisim.io/circuits/new in your browser. You'll see a blank canvas—your digital playground!

2 Add a Switch 30 seconds

Look for the component palette on the left. Find Switch under Input components. Click it, then click on the canvas to place it. This will be your input—like flipping a light switch!

3 Add a Light 30 seconds

Find Light under Output components. Place it to the right of your switch. This will be your output—the thing that responds to your input.

4 Connect Them 1 minute

Click the small circle on the right side of the switch (its output). Then click the small circle on the left side of the light (its input). A wire appears connecting them!

5 Test It! 30 seconds

Click on the switch to toggle it. Watch the light turn ON and OFF! You just built your first digital circuit!

🎉 Congratulations!

You've built a working digital circuit in under 5 minutes. Every complex computer is built from simple concepts like this!

What Just Happened?

Let's understand the magic:

• The Switch generates a digital signal: OFF = 0, ON = 1
• The Wire carries that signal from one place to another
• The Light displays the signal: 0 = dark, 1 = lit

Key Insight: Everything is 1s and 0s

This is the foundation of ALL digital electronics. Your phone, laptop, and TV all process information as patterns of 1s and 0s. What changes is what those signals represent—numbers, text, images, or sound.

Your Next 5 Minutes: Add a Gate

Ready for more? Let's add an AND gate—a component that makes decisions.

1 Add Another Switch

Place a second switch on the canvas. Now you have two inputs!

2 Add an AND Gate

Find AND under Logic Gates. Place it between your switches and light.

3 Reconnect

Connect Switch 1 → AND input A. Connect Switch 2 → AND input B. Connect AND output → Light.

4 Experiment

Toggle the switches. The light only turns on when BOTH switches are ON. That's what "AND" means!

An AND gate in action: both switches must be ON for the light to illuminate—like a two-key security system!

Ideas to Try

You've learned the basics. Here are ideas for your next explorations:

• Try OR gate: Light turns on when EITHER switch is on
• Try NOT gate: Output is opposite of input (inverted)
• Chain gates together: AND → NOT = NAND
• Open a template: See pre-built circuits for inspiration

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