A digital encoding scheme where exactly one bit in a group is set low (logic 0) while all other bits are held high (logic 1). It is the inverse of one-hot encoding and is frequently used in active-low control signals, such as selecting a single chip on a shared bus.
Heard on the job
The chip select lines use a one-cold encoding, so pulling line three to ground activates the third memory bank.
Related terms
One-hot
An encoding scheme where only a single bit in a group is active at any given time.
Logic low
The lower of two voltage states used to represent a binary zero in a digital circuit.
Negative logic
A digital design convention that assigns the true state to a low voltage and the false state to a high voltage.