System Design with Microcontrollers (ECE473/ECE573)
CRN 18594/18600 - Fall 2023 (( OUT OF DATE, ONLY A PLACE HOLDER))


Lecture:
  Tuesday, Thursday 1600-1720; KEC 1003

Lab:
   W 0900-1150 : ; DEAR208
   W 1400-1650 : ; DEAR208
   F 1100-1350 : ; DEAR208
   F 1400-1650 : ; DEAR208

(Note: "NOSPAM" = "oregonstate")
Lecturer:
  Roger Traylor
  Office: KEC3095
  E-mail:traylor@NOSPAM.edu
  Office Hours: Zoom, via email, or whatever



TAs:
Tingwei Zhang(0.4)
  Office: DB208
  E-mail:zhangtin@NOSPAM.edu
  Office hours by email appointment

Alyssa Estenson(0.2)
  Office: DB208
  E-mail:estensoa@NOSPAM.edu
  Office hours by email appointment


About This Class

The purpose of this course is to equip students to competently design small, embedded microcontroller systems. This course uses a microcontroller as a component in electronic system design. Our target microcontroller, the Atmel ATXMega16_A4, provides extensive I/O and peripherals. It will be considered as a flexible logic component to be embedded within a system.

This is a design course. This means that you will be expected to show considerable creativity, resourcefulness and persistence. You will need to read long datasheets, improvise around problems, and extract information from obscure sources. You will need to apply material from many of the courses you have already taken. You will have to find solutions on your own from incomplete specifications. Welcome to the real world of design.

There is a considerable reading load for this class. Consider this typical for doing non-trivial design work. The number of pages is large and the material can be obtuse. I will not be looking for recall of bit-by-bit details, but clear understanding of concepts and how to apply them. Quasi-weekly self-evaluations may be provided to check your understanding.

Lab assignments will require a detailed design based on a general specifications. Step-by-step instructions are not provided. Detailed designs will be generated by the student. Complete designs to be graded include C and/or assembly language code, digital and analog circuit schematics.

I expect your in-class participation. Some of you will have innovative solutions and approaches that need to be shared. Be prepared to voice your opinion, show off your hardware and explain your code.

You may work in groups on homework and projects if you wish. Sharing of design approaches, philosophy, flow charts or coding ideas is strongly suggested. However, sharing of detailed information such as design calculations, or actual code is not approved and will meet with the strongest action that I can bring. Your project represents your individual work, not the product of group work.

A mail reflector (or list) for the class will be established by the beginning of class. The mailgroup is how I communicate with you outside the classroom. It can also be used as an interactive forum where you discuss problems and solutions. Such usage is encouraged. Students who register early for ECE473 are automatically added to the class mail list. You may initially not be on the if you register late. You should be added within a day or so. The name of the class list for ECE473 is: ece473-001-f22@engr.NOSPAM.edu (NOSPAM = orst). You will not be able to post to this list from any other than your engr account.

Wherever you do your code development, back it up. Many sad stories here. Back up disks are cheap.

Commit yourself to learning either vim or emacs. To write code, you need to use a programming editor. I can almost guarantee you are surely going to do a lot of programming in your career. So use an efficient tool. So,... don't fight it, once you catch on, you'll never go back. I do all my writing in vim.


Schedule and Assignments

Period Date Lecture Topics Lab Work Datasheet Supplemtal Materials
1 Thursday
Sept 28
Intro to ECE473
Differences in Embedded Design
Schematic Diagrams
Design Analysis
-----
Atxmega 64A1U Overview
ATXmega vs. ATMega
Chip Programming Model
Lab 1 - Tool Testdrive
  -Due in lab, 9/28-9/30 (1 wk)
lab1.c
Makefile
Xmega AU Manual
ATXmega64A4U Datasheet
AVR1000
2 Tuesday
Oct 3
Editing with vim
Philosophy.txt
-----
I/O Module
iox16a4u.h
I/O Pin Electrical Characteristics
-----
Debug Techniques
I/O ports
AVR1313
ESD Diodes
ESD Videos:
  -Chalktalk
  -Demo
Vim Videos:
  -Getting in and out
  -Moving around
  -Adding and deleting
  -Dot, make, split, shell
3 Thursday
Oct 5
Xmega Clock System
Switch Debouncing
Debugging Techniques
Shameless plug for schematics
Discussion of Lab 2
  -Time multiplexing LED display
  -Scanning switches
Lab 2 - Led and pushbuttons
  -Due in lab, 10/18-20 (1 wk)
Skeleton code for lab 2
Clock System
AVR1003
A Guide to Debouncing
A DSP-style debouncer
Developing a good bedside manner
4 Tuesday
Oct 10
GNU Compiler
Assembly Language & GCC
GNU Make
Inclass Exercise tar file
Self Evaluation - wk2
Automatic makefile dependencies
Dummy text
5 Thursday
Oct 12
Lab 1 Code differences
Embedded Programming
Killer Apps
Git Lecture/Inclass work
Git Quick Reference
Avr-libc
  -Character Operations
  -Strings
  -Busy-wait loops
  -Standard Integer Types
  -General Utilities
Using a2ps
Lab 3 - Lab 2 with interrupts
Lab 3 - Skeleton code
  -Due in lab, 11/9 (1 wks)
Write great code (article only)
Debugging Embedded C
Programming uCs in C
C usage in embedded apps
6 Tuesday
Oct 17
Interrupts
Debugging Interrupts
Inclass Exercise:   Download script
Avr-libc, interrupts section
AVR Datasheet
  -pgs 15-17, Interrupt and reset handling
  -pgs 11-12, Status register GIE bit
  -pgs 60-62, Interrupts
Break code with volatile
Self Evaluation - wk3
Dummy text
7 Thursday
Oct 19
Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI)
Reading Encoders
Inclass Exercise
  -bar_graph_skel.c
Lab 4 - Interrupts, SPI, Encoders)
Lab 4 - encoder_skel.c
AVR Datasheet
  -pgs. 163-170 SPI
Introduction to SPI
Dummy text
8 Tuesday
Oct 24
8-Bit Timer/Counters, TCNT0 & TCNT2
Lab discussion
    -Encoder operation
    -Decoder glitches
    -"Scope out" SPI transactions
In-class Programming Work
    bar_graph_demo_skel.c
    bar_graph_demo.c
AVR Datasheet
  -pgs. 93-111 TCNT0
  -pgs. 145-160 TCNT2
AVR130 setup, use of AVR Timers
DN024 Timer/Counter Basics
Self Evaluation - wk4
Dummy text
9 Thursday
Oct 26
16-Bit Timer/Counters TCNT1, TCNT3
Inclass/Lab Exercise:
Lab 5 materials
Lab 5 - TC0/TC1
Lab 5 - skeleton code
AVR Datasheet
Sine waves from uCs
  -pgs. 112-142 TCNT1 and TCNT3
  -pgs. 143-144 TCNT1-3, Prescalers
Dummy text
10 Tuesday
Oct 31
Inclass Exercise - Stimulus Reaction Timer   -wget_script
Dummy text Dummy text Dummy text
11 Thursday
Nov 2
Industry Overview
  -Electronic Design 2017 Salary Career Report
  -Electronic Design 2018 Survey Results
Lab X - Alarm Clock
  -Clone hd44780_driver: Github
  -Due in lab, 11/9-11 (2 wks)
Dummy text Dummy text
12 Tuesday
Nov 7
Guest Speaker
  -Marshall Adrian, Intel Corp.
Analog Comparator, ADC
Inclass Exercise - ADC voltmeter - wget_script
Dummy text AVR Datasheet
  -pgs. 227-229 Analog Comparator
  -pgs. 230-245 A to D Converter
  -pgs. 54-55 Voltage Reference
  -pgs. 171-197 USART
Bandgap References
DN021 Using the ADC
Self Evaluation - wk6
Dummy text
13 Thursday
Nov 9
USART
UART tarball
UART strings in Flash
Two Wire Serial Interface (I2C)
TWI tarball
UART tarball
Graphic LCD tarball
Lab6.txt
Dummy text AVR Datasheet
  -pgs. 198-226, TWI
I2C overview
Network Peripherals with I2C
I2C Bidirectional level shifter
Phillips I2C Manual (pgs. 2-25)
Phillips I2C Usage with a uC
Dummy text
Saturday
Nov 11
Veterans day
Thanks to all who serve and have served our country.
14 Tuesday
Nov 14
Project discussion
Inclass coding - UART - wget_script
Guest Speaker
Dummy text AVR Datasheet
  -pgs. 19-24, EEPROM Memory
Accessing the EEPROM
Self Evaluation - wk7
Dummy text
15 Thursday
Nov 16
Power Management and Sleep Modes
Reset Sources
XDIV/Sleep code
Reset/Brownout code
Watchdog code
Lab 5 - Remote Temp Sensor
  -twi_master.c
  -twi_master.h
  -lm73_functions.h
  -lm73_functions_skel.c
  -uart functions.c
  -uart_functions.h
  -uart functions.c for Mega48 only
  -uart_functions.h for Mega 48 only
  -Early checkoff:11/30-12/2
  -Late checkoff with final project
AVR Datasheet
  -pages 52-56, Watchdog Timer
  -page 50, Brownout Detection
Great Watchdogs
Power Management
Dummy text
16 Tuesday
Nov 21
Guest Speaker
Project Q & A
  -Discussion of lab work.
Thursday
Nov 23
Thanksgiving - No Classes
  -Give thanks
  -Code while you feast
17 Tuesday
Nov 28
Guest Speakers - Software Quality
  -Amy Keizerman, Nicole Lewey
   Garmin
JTAG
Bootloaders
Lock bits and Fuse bits
Self Evaluation - wk9
18 Thursday
Nov 30
Architecting the Final Project
  -How to approach the final project.
  -Class Presentations - TBA
Final Project: FM Clock Radio
  -Clone si4734 driver: Github
  -si4734 connection detail
  -si4734 code snippets
  -Finish the FM alarm clock radio.
  -Due 12/7 (Wednesday, finals wk.) (2+ weeks)
19 Tuesday
Dec 5
Class Presentations - TBA
TBA
20 Thursday
Dec 7
Class Recap - TBA
TBA