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Syllabus for
Summer 2001 (10 week) – James Conrad |
Objective
The objective of this class is to build a small robot and use microprocessor technology to make it walk and sense its environment. This will use the Stiquito robot, PC parallel port controller, and a Basic Stamp 2.
Purpose
of Course
This
course will provide an introduction to an embedded computer systems. It continues to expose students to computer
engineering topics. During this course,
students will develop a basic understanding of embedded computer system
architecture; learn to program embedded computer systems; and learn how simple
I/O devices are controlled by microprocessors.
This class will use lecture and lab to solidify concepts on embedded
systems.
Prerequisite
Junior
standing, a grade of B- or above in ECE 206/218, a grade of B- or above in ECE
200 (or equivalent), and permission of the instructor. Limited to 24 students.
Materials
Purchased by Student:
· James Conrad and Jonathan Mills, Stiquito for Beginners, IEEE CS Press, 1999. $40.
· Stiquito PC Parallel Port Controller Kit, MRS, Inc. $10 (purchased by each lab pair)
Additional
lab supplies and tools provided by the ECE Department:
· Basic Stamp 2 Board of Education, Parallax, Inc. $50-$100 (one for each lab pair). If the lab pair wants to keep the Basic Stamp microcontroller, they can buy their own directly from Parallax, Inc.
· Parallax Basic Stamp User's Guide, Parallax, Inc. (in developer kit, and on web).
· Miscellaneous hardware (ULN2803, transistors, perf board, sensors, connectors)
· PC with parallel/serial port (in lab Dan 343)
· Soldering station
· Multi-meters, power supplies
Labs
Lab sessions will be held weekly in 343 Daniels. Students will work on labs in pairs. A considerable amount of time and thought will be required in the labs. Because almost all of us learn by doing, the laboratory will probably be the most effective method for learning the material. It is important that you participate fully in the lab-- do not just let your partner do all the work. (If you do, you find that you will not finish the project!) To learn, you need to do it and you need to creatively think about what you are doing! Students will learn to take lab notes, and use the notes for their final paper.
Since a student will learn the most for performing labs, grading for the course will be weighted heavily on lab performance:
· Lab pairs will demonstrate their work at the end of their eight labs.
· Students will turn in their lab books at the end of the semester
Quizzes
There
will be a quiz each week before lecture to ensure that students prepare in
advance for the day's discussion. There
will be no make-ups for quizzes.
Students are expected to attend all 20 of the classes.
Final Project
The
culmination of the class will be a Stiquito walking contest at the end of the
semester. Students will work on the
project using skills learned through the semester. They will discover the value of code reuse from earlier labs and
of task scheduling and project management.
These skills will be quite helpful for their future Senior Design
Project. The lab pair should also write
a project report in the form of a magazine article. The objective is to submit the article to a magazine, like
Circuit Cellar Ink or Robot Science and Technology, for eventual
publication. The project results and
final report will be part of the final grade.
Course
Topics and Labs
|
Week |
Date |
Lecture |
Lab/Homework |
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W |
5/23 |
Introduction to Embedded Computer Systems; Introduction to Stiquito |
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M |
5/28 |
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(1) Build a manual controlled Stiquito |
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W |
5/30 |
Electronics, soldering skills, instrumentation, power supplies |
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M |
6/4 |
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(2) Solder a PC Parallel Port Controller and test |
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W |
6/6 |
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M |
6/11 |
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(3) Program (in C) to the parallel port controller (output-Stiquito gait w/LEDs and input)
Check the text below |
|
W |
6/13 |
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M |
6/18 |
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(4) Build a tether and program a PWM gait for Stiquito |
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W |
6/20 |
An examination of a small embedded Computer System; project management; final project rules |
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M |
6/25 |
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W |
6/27 |
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M |
7/2 |
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M |
7/9 |
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(6) Develop Stiquito Gaits on Basic Stamp |
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W |
7/11 |
Optimization of embedded system code |
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M |
7/16 |
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W |
7/18 |
Hardware/software co-design |
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M |
7/23 |
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Building Stiquito/basic Stamp board |
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W |
7/25 |
Testing Embedded Systems |
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M |
7/30 |
Rough draft of final report due |
Building Stiquito/basic Stamp board (cont.) |
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W |
8/1 |
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Building Stiquito/basic Stamp board (cont.) |
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M |
8/6 |
Stiquito race/Pizza Party at TAR Meeting |
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F |
8/10 |
Report due |
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See the Stiquito race on TV!!!
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On WRAL, Raleigh (Realtime video, 2.2 MB)
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On WRAZ, Raleigh (Realtime video, 1.9 MB)
Here are some photos of the final day:
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Grading
Percentages
40%
Laboratory demonstrations
10% Lab notebook
10%
Quizzes
20%
Final project/race results
20% Final report – Magazine Article
100% Total
More info on Lab 3:
- Here's a preview of some things we'll be doing in lab 3:
- We will be using the DriverLINX Port I/O Driver to read and write information via the parallel port to communicate with your LED boards. This driver is installed on the machines in DAN343. If you would like to use it at home, it is available for download.
- We will be using the GNU x86 C/C++ compiler (gcc) to write some simple programs to control LED's. The compiler is installed on the machines in DAN343. If you would like to use it at home, it is available for download here.
- Download the zip file. Look at the make file and batch file that you can use to build your program. You'll have to modify the file list inside of the make file to match the names of your source files. Copy the make file and batch file to the same directory as your source files, and run "build" to create an executable program. You'll also need to copy the dlportio.lib into your source directory.