Units
Microprocessors and Digital Systems
Unit code: ENB244
Contact hours: 4 per week
Credit points: 12
Information about fees and unit costs
ENB244 is an introduction to microcontrollers and will cover topics from binary numbers, logic gates, and architectures, to assembly language and basic C programming. After this course you'll have a basic understanding of how computers work and you'll be able to develop programs for a microcontroller based computer system.
Availability
| Semester | Available |
|---|---|
| 2013 Semester 2 | Yes |
Sample subject outline - Semester 2 2012
Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.
Rationale
Modern digital electronic systems rely on embedded microcontrollers in order to achieve the level of sophistication present in today's applications. The design and development of such systems requires knowledge of the hardware and software to program the system. This unit identifies these design requirements and develops embedded microcontroller-based system solutions.
Aims
The general aim of this course is for you to understand how computers work at the hardware level (binary numbers, logic gates, memory) to the software level (assembly language, C). A low level understanding of computer hardware helps you to understand the implications (e.g. performance) of software design and implementation decisions and equips you with the tools for becoming an informed engineer.
Objectives
On completion of this unit you should be able to:
1. Understand the relationship between C, assembly, machine instructions, and the underlying computer hardware
2. Be familiar with the basic concepts of assembly and the C programming language
3. Write, modify and debug C language programs for PC and AVR microcontroller applications
4. Apply knowledge of C to an embedded microcontroller-based project
Content
Lectures will cover the fundamentals of embedded microcontrollers, architectures, buses, and types of memory. An introduction to C programming will also be covered. Topics include: serial communication, timers, interrupts, analog to digital conversion, instructions sets, addressing, assembly, and C programming.
The first 6 weeks will focus on general C programming and will cover the fundamentals of embedded C programming. The lectures for the remaining half of the semester will consist of applying these C programming skills to a microcontroller project.
Approaches to Teaching and Learning
Teaching Mode: Total hours per week: 6
Lectures: 2 hrs/wk
Tutorials: 2 hr/wk
Laboratory: 2 hr/wk
This unit promotes significant hands-on experience with programming microcontrollers and interfacing to external hardware. A series of lectures will introduce C programming concepts and through interactive tutorials, apply these concepts for developing C applications on a PC. The practicals will focus on applying the C programming concepts to embedded systems and develop a project using a microcontroller.
Practicals require the implementation of a microcontroller-based project. The project runs over the entire semester and culminates in a demonstration of the project at the end of the unit. Practical work in the laboratory will focus on particular problems students may be having but will be flexible such that students at different stages will be provided assistance. A series of practical laboratory exercises will provide you with the opportunity to obtain practical experience on the material studied in lectures and tutorials. Laboratories will be conducted in pairs.
Assessment
Assessment will include lab/practical work, an assignment, and a final demonstration.Summative Feedback
Assessment will be based on practical performance (30%), performance in a programming assignment (30%), and a demonstration (40%). The demonstration will be based on the performance of the project at the end of the unit. A mid-semester 24 hour assignment will assess your programming skills and involve writing a program to solve a particular solution. Practicals will develop the tools needed for the final project and will be assessed each week.
Assessment name:
Laboratory/Practical
Description:
Weekly lab practicals. In pairs, you will work through exercises that develop the needed skills for the final project.
Relates to objectives:
1, 3, 4
Weight:
30%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Group with Individual Component
Due date:
Throughout Semester
Assessment name:
Project (applied)
Description:
Development of an embedded microcontroller system.
Relates to objectives:
1, 3, 4
Weight:
40%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Group
Due date:
Week 12
Assessment name:
Problem Solving Task
Description:
This assignment will consist of a single integrated problem requiring implementation in the C programming language to solve a for a given task.
Relates to objectives:
2, 3
Weight:
30%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Individual
Due date:
Week 7
Academic Honesty
QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.
A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.
Resource materials
Resource materials in the form of lecture notes, laboratory notes, and other learning materials from device manufactures, are provided on the QUT Blackboard web site. This material is designed to supplement rather than replace the material presented during the lecture and tutorial sessions.
Risk assessment statement
You will undertake lectures and tutorials in the traditional classrooms and lecture theatres. As such, there are no extraordinary workplace health and safety issues associated with these components of the unit.
You will be required to undertake practical sessions in the laboratory under the supervision of the lecturer and technical staff of the School. The School's occupational health and safety policies and procedures will apply to these sessions.
You will undergo a health and safety induction at the commencement of the first practical session and will be issued with a safety induction card. If you do not have a safety induction card, you will be denied access to laboratories.
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.
Last modified: 28-May-2012
