EECS 373: Design of Microprocessor-Based Systems (original) (raw)

Course Description

This class is focused on the principles and practices of modern embedded systems design. In class, we will focus on computer architecture beyond the CPU, fundamentals of the hardware/software interface, techniques for sensing and controlling the physical world, and a few other topics. In lab, we will focus on the ARM Cortex-M3, Actel FPGAs, and other supporting hardware, to learn how to design, build, and program embedded systems. Labs during the first half of the course will focus on essential topics. The second half of the course will focus on the design and implementation of non-trivial, open-ended project involving both hardware and software. The labs and project will require a substantial amount of time -- this is a lab-intensive class with a heavy workload.

Syllabus (Tentative)

Class	Date	Lecture	Speaker(s)	Lab
ARM System Architecture
1	Sep 7	Introduction, Architecture (PPT)	Dutta	Lab 1: FPGA + Hardware Tools
2	Sep 9	Architecture, Assembly (PPT)	Dutta
3	Sep 14	ISA, Assembly, Toolchains (PPT)	Dutta	Lab 2: MCU + Software Tools
4	Sep 16	Memory and I/O Architecture (PPT)	Dutta
5	Sep 21	Memory/Peripheral Bus: AMBA (PPT)	Dutta	Lab 3: Memory and Memory-Mapped I/O
6	Sep 23	Memory-Mapped Peripherals (PPT)	Dutta
7	Sep 28	Interrupts, ARM NVIC (PDF, PDF 4-up)	Schmid	Lab 4: Interrupts
8	Sep 30	Timers (PDF, PDF 4-up)	Schmid
Peripheral Interfacing
9	Oct 5	Memory Technologies (PPT)	Dutta	Lab 5: Timers and Counters
10	Oct 7	Serial busses: UART, SPI, and I2C (PPT)	Dutta
11	Oct 12	ADCs/DACs (PPT)	Dutta	Lab 6: Serial Bus Interfacing
12	Oct 14	Wireless Communications (PDF, PDF 4-up)	Schmid
13	Oct 19	NO LECTURE: Fall Study Break		NO LAB: Fall Study Break
14	Oct 21	Midterm 1
15	Oct 26	PCB Design and Fabrication	Dutta	Lab 7: Data Converters
16	Oct 28	Project Overview (PDF)	Smith
Projects
17	Nov 2	NO LECTURE: Project Meetings		Lab 8: Wireless Communications
18	Nov 4
19	Nov 9	NO LECTURE: Project Meetings		Projects
20	Nov 11	NO LECTURE: Meet in EECS 2334	Smith
21	Nov 16	ARM Cortex-M0 and LPCXpresso (PDF)	Pannuto	Projects
22	Nov 18	ARM Guest Lecture (PDF)	Ali Saidi
23	Nov 23	Potpourri, Exams, and Review	Dutta	Projects
	Nov 25	NO LECTURE: Thanksgiving Break		NO LAB: Thanksgiving Break
24	Nov 30	NO LECTURE		Projects
25	Dec 2
26	Dec 7	NO LECTURE		Projects
27	Dec 9
28	Dec 17	Poster Session: 1:30pm - 3:30pm Final Exam Due: 1:30pm		NO LAB

Prerequisites

The curricular prequisites for this class include EECS 270(Introduction to Logic Design), EECS 280 (Programming and Introductory Data Structures), and EECS 370 (Introduction to Computer Organization). Thecourse bulletin outlines the contents of these courses. In general, students are expected to have a firm grasp on combinational and sequential logic design, be familiar with assembly language programming (for some architecture), be proficient in C programming, and know theirway around the elements of a computer. In addition, success in this course will require substantial reading and hacking, and students will need a high degree of patience and determination.

Policies

Honor Code. The Engineering Honor Code applies to all assignments and exams.

Learn Concepts Together through Discussion. Verbal collaboration between members of different groups is permitted for the purpose of helping classmates to understand concepts essential to the labs or providing one another with insights into the best way to approach the in-lab assignments.

Do Your Own Work. Individual assignments (e.g., prelabs, homeworks, and exams) are to be performed on your own. Group assignments (e.g., labs, lab reports, and postlabs) are to be performed only by members of the group. Non-verbal collaboration (e.g. drawing sample schematics on paper or the whiteboard, sharing schematics or code) is not allowed. You may not help debug another group's hardware or software without consent from the lab or course instructor. You are also not allowed to possess, look at, use, or in any way derive advantage from the existence of code, lab reports, or other material prepared in prior years.

Attend Your Registered Lab. You are expected to attend the lab section for which you are registered. If you would like to switch lab sections, but the section you want is full, you must find someone in that lab section to swap positions with you. Once you have agreed on a swap, send email to Matt Smith. All section swaps must be completed before the second week of lab.

Prelabs. Prelabs are due in lab during the week the lab is to start. All prelabs must be turned in within the 20 minutes after the offical start of lab (on the half hour) (to allow for tardiness, printing problems, etc.) or you will only get 50% of the credit otherwise earned. Prelabs more than one week late will earn no credit. For any labs which span multiple weeks, the prelab is due during the first week of that lab. Prelabs are to be done individually unless otherwise specified in the lab itself.

Postlabs. Postlabs are due in lab the week after the last week of that lab. They are due 20 minutes after the start of that lab period. Just like prelabs, late labs earn only 50% of the credit otherwise earned and postlabs which are more than one week late get no credit. Postlabs are to be done by the group unless otherwise specified in the lab itself.

**In-Labs.**In-labs are due by Friday of the last week of the lab in open lab hours (you are welcome to turn it in before this and most students do). One of the lab instructors must sign your in-lab form by that time for the in-lab to be on time. You should hand in the signed (and dated) in-lab form with your postlab. Late in-labs lose 10% of their value per business day (Monday though Friday not including holidays) they are late. You may only work with your lab group (generally one other person) on your in-lab.

Grading

Item	Weight	Description
Labs	25%	Eight labs: Lab 3 (4%); All other labs (3%).
Project	25%	Group project demonstrating understanding of major topics.
Exams	25%	Two exams: Midterm (10%); Final (15%).
Quizzes	10%	Approximately seven 1-minute quizzes given at random (coin-flip).
Homework	10%	Two or three homework assignments weighted roughly equally.
Presentation	5%	Group presentation on a special topic to the class.