INTRO EMBEDDED SYS ECEN220 SEC 001 Spring 2019

ECEN 220: Intro to Embedded Systems

Instructor: Jay Carlson (email: jcarlson@unl.edu, Google Hangouts: jay.d.carlson@gmail.com)

Teaching Assistant: Jon Sherman (email/Google Hangouts: jonmsherman08@gmail.com)

Meeting: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 11:30-12:20, OTHM-105 on City Campus

Office Hours (both of us will hold office hours in SEC 330):

Jay: Monday and Tuesday, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Jon: Wednesday and Friday, 3:00-4:00 p.m.

Prerequisite: CSCE-155E or other C programming experience

Text: Online reading assignments

Supplies: ECEN 220 Lab Kit from EE Shop (available soon!)

Intro to Embedded Systems is cornerstone class to prepare electrical engineering students to write software and design hardware for microcontroller-based embedded systems. This is a hands-on class that integrates many foundational concepts from electrical engineering into practical, real-world systems.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe the source code compilation process and the architecture of practical microcontroller systems
• Operate basic microcontroller peripherals
• Employ modern development tools to develop prototypes of embedded systems
• Interpret logic analyzer, oscilloscope, trace, and debugger outputs to characterize the performance and functionality of embedded systems
• Operate proficiently with Boolean algebra
• Recall and evaluate different parallel and serial communications protocols
• Perform basic analog-to-digital, digital-to-analog, and signal processing tasks
• Implement systems with standard embedded software patterns
• Describe, classify, and analyze different microcontroller designs
• Design and analyze analog and digital electronics circuitry to support and extend the functionality of microcontrollers

Instructional Methodology

There's a ton of material to cover, and I'd like course lecture time to be dynamic and student-centered. We'll try to have in-class peer learning exercises, demos, discussions, and long question/answer periods each week.

Consequently, many topics we discuss will be introduced using a reverse classroom method.

Reverse Classroom

In lieu of traditional homework, we'll assign many interactive reading assignments (found in the Quizzes tab on Canvas) that contain reading material and accompanying concept-oriented questions.

Before each lecture, you'll work through the assigned reading material and answer the questions on the quiz. When you come to class, we'll fortify and extend your understanding of these concepts with classroom activities and question/answer time. You'll be expected to come to class having already prepared the reading material, and a substantial portion of your grade will come from these reading assignments.

These reading assignments — along with in-class activities — are the primary formative assessment tools for the class. Their main function is diagnostic: they help you measure how much you're learning, and they help me understand how the class is learning as a whole. This allows me to focus in on specific concepts that are causing trouble while letting us breeze through topics that students already understand well. Because both these tools are critical to your success in the class, the reading assignments are mandatory, as is attendance — you should let me know ahead of time if you have to miss a lecture!

Project-Based Learning (PBL)

There will also be several hands-on projects throughout the semester that will help you practice higher-order learning outcomes from the course (mostly emphasizing evaluation and design).

In general, these projects will start out on a breadboard, allowing you to construct a complete circuit and firmware programming from the ground up.

DMX-512 Par Light Product

Many students would like to work on projects that resemble "real world" products; consequently, I've created a Product component to many of the projects you'll work on this semester.

This semester, we'll be building out the complete firmware, from scratch, for a real-world DMX-512-interfaced LED RGBW par light. This is not a hobbyist/maker 3D-printed gadget strung together with breadboard wires and Adafruit modules, but rather, an actual, commercially-viable product.

DMX-512 is a communication protocol for controlling professional lighting equipment found in theater, stage, and club lighting applications. Here is an example of a DMX-512-interfaced lighting rig from a club:

By the end of the semester, your par light will have a menu-driven interface supporting sound activation, DMX-512 network control, and a stand-alone auto mode, as well. The UI will allow the installer to configure parameters for each mode.

Many components of the product — the injection-molded plastic enclosure, the main control board, power supply, LED array, and mounting hardware — were designed by other engineers. However, the firmware has yet to be written; that's your job!

Summative Assessment

As you can imagine, there's a ton of room for collaboration both in the classroom and out of it. Peer learning is a hallmark of this course, and I strongly encourage students to work with each other to learn the material in this class and overcome obstacles while working on projects.

However, at the end of the day, I need to know that each student has accomplished the learning outcomes of the course so that they can succeed in embedded engineering. A student's grade must reflect this.

As a result, after each unit, we'll have an in-class summative assessment — a test we administer to measure how many learning outcomes a student achieved at the end of the unit.

By the time you take each unit's summative assessment, you will have had feedback from one or more formative assessments, plus ample time inside and outside of class to discuss material, so you should be well-positioned to succeed.

Grading

There are three assignment categories. Here is their weighting:

• Reading assignments and in-class work: 15%
• Project-based learning: 35%
• Summative assessments: 50%

Late work will only be accepted at the instructor's discretion, and even then, may carry a stiff late penalty. You must coordinate with the instructor before the due date if you'd like to turn in an assignment late.

Your final grade will be assigned from this standard scale:

97-100%	A+
93–96%	A
90–92%	A-
87–89%	B+
83–86%	B
80–82%	B-
77–79%	C+
73–76%	C
70–72%	C-
67–69%	D+
63–66%	D
60–62%	D-
<60%	F