ECE 422 (2018): Microcontroller System Design

Instructor: Raymond Lei
Office: ECC216A
Lecture: 5:30 - 6:20 PM, T, Th, Remote via Adobe Connect
Lab: 6:00 - 7:50PM, M, ECC216
Begin Date: 08/27/2018
End Date: 12/17/2018

*Schedule of TA help sessions TBD

Prerequisite: ECE323

Course Description

The internal structure and operation of microcontrollers will be studied. The design methodology for software and hardware applications will be developed through the labs and design projects.

Objectives

The objective of this course is to engage students in designing and implementing electronic devices using combinations of software, programmable microcontroller and various electronics components. Techniques for data exchange between embedded system and desktop computer will be explored. Embedded system for sensor applications will be introduced. Desktop application using Graphical User Interface (GUI) will be introduced in C# programming language.

This course emphasizes learning through hands-on experiments. There are extensive lab exercise and projects. Students are expected to develop independence and learn much of the material on their own. Instructor and TAs play the roles of facilitators to guide you for discovering your full potential and developing your problem solving and troubleshooting skills.

Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will understand the architecture of the PIC microcontrollers, gain experience in designing and implementing both hardware and software aspects of an embedded system; in firmware development using ANSI C and in graphical user interface desktop application development using C# programming language.

Syllabus

  • Features of PIC24F family microcontrollers
  • MPLAB X and XC16 Compiler for PIC Development
  • PIC Architecture & Programming
  • PIC I/O Port Programming
  • Programming in C
  • PIC Hardware Connection
  • PIC Serial Port Programming and Bluetooth Wireless communication
  • Interrupt Programming
  • External EEPROM and I2C
  • PIC24 Timers Programming
  • ADC and Sensor Interfacing
  • Sensor and other Applications
  • Real-Time Operating System
  • C# RS232 and USB Interface Programming
  • Impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context
  • Embedded Software Development

Labs/Projects and Grades

Labs and projects

There are about 11 hands-on labs and one final project. Most labs weight from 5 to 50 points each. Final project weight 100 points.

  1. Checkouts are required. Source codes shall be submitted to the D2L Dropbox by each lab’s due date.
  2. All checkouts will be done during lab hours. All checks are one time only. The checkout includes but not limited to:
    1. system designs (block diagram and schematics, and flow chart)
    2. system design performance validation,
    3. lab note book review,
    4. questions for both hardware and software design and development
  3. Lab report shall be submitted when specified in the lab hand-out. The reports are only acceptable via the drop box of D2L (Reported via email will be rejected).

Late submission

Late submission is subjected to 25% deduction per day. Partial credits will be given for partially finished projects and labs. One grade reduction will be applied for each missed lab or project.

Attendance

Grade will be lowed for every two missed classes (late attendance to the class will not be counted.)

Grades

Grades will be based a general guideline of 90/80/70/60/50% for A/B/C/D/F grades.

Cheating or Plagiarize: will be reported to the related university departments, and “F” grades will be assigned.

Textbook and References:

  1. “The PIC Microcontroller and Embedded systems – Using Assembly and C for PIC18”, Muhammad Ali Mazidi, Rolin D. McKinlay, and Danny Causey, Prentice Hall, 2007
  2. “Fundamentals of Microcontrollers and Applications in Embedded System (with PIC18 Microcontroller Family)”, Ramesh Gaonkar, Thomson Delmar Learning, 2007
  3. Design reference notes and data sheets of Microchips.
  4. Lecture notes, lab procedure, project description, design references on D2L of ECE 422

Demonstration of a previous ECE 422 students’ work (of 2009, 2011) can be found at YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quIYhdZ0ons

http://youtu.be/2aHilCOlqpo

D2L

  • All course materials can be found on D2L: lecture notes, lab and project assignments.
  • Your work must be submitted via D2L drop box.
  • Announcement will be distributed via email list on the D2L.