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CSE 477: Digital Systems Design
(Spring 2002)
Administration

Locations: Meetings, staff and offices
Lectures: T Th 9:00-10:20, MGH 289 (Note change!!)
Laboratory: T Th 2:30-5:20, Sieg 327

Instructor:
Carl Ebeling       ebeling@cs  Sieg 215

assisted by:
Christopher Morgan morgan@cs<-- RETURN TO TOP

Catalog Data

CSE 477 Digital System Design (5 credits)   Students use the laboratory to design, simulate, construct, and debug a substantial project that includes hardware, software, and communication components. Lectures focus on use of embedded processors in digital system design and interfacing techniques. The design of real-time reactive systems comprising hardware and software is emphasized.

This course serves as the capstone design course for the Computer Engineering Program. Its purpose is to tie together much of the material from the courses in the curriculum into a coherent whole by asking you to apply your knowledge to the design, construction, and debugging of a complete embedded system involving software, hardware, and interfacing. 

Because of this holistic mission, this course has a very heavy workload. Depending on your project goals, you may end up spending more than the 5 credits assigned to the course would normally imply. 

Prerequistes: CSE378 and CSE467. 

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Course Project

This course is organized around the project.  We will organize ourselves as a single advanced development group that is producing a prototype of a new product for a company.  Producing this prototype product will drive everything we do in class.  See the  Project Page for more details.

Course Goals

     To serve as a capstone design course to tie together the computer engineering curriculum via the design of a complete embedded system involving hardware, software, and communication components. 

  • Understanding of basic microcontrollers and their use in embedded system design. 
  • Experience partitioning a system into software and hardware components.
  • Familiarity with basic serial and parallel communication methods. 
  • Experience the design and development of a complete product comprising hardware and software, from design to implementation and debugging. 
  • To present design goals and decisions as well as implementation results in both verbal presentation and written documentation. 
  • To work toward a common goal in a team environment. 
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Course Topics

     Introduction to embedded systems 
     Microprocessors and microcontrollers 
          Review of basic computer organization 
          Address/data bus 
          Memories 
          I/O ports 
          Timing subsystems 
          Interrupt handling 
     Interfacing techniques 
          Basic I/O ports 
          Interactions involving time 
          Memories 
          Interface support devices 
          Polling 
          Interrupts and interrupt handling 
     Communication methods 
          Serial 
          Parallel 
          Basic wireless schemes 
          Error correction 
          Flow control 
     Hardware Design
          Partitioning Software and Hardware
          Interface design and implementation
     Design experiences 
          Case studies 
          Industry perspectives 
          Research directions 

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Course Organization

   Lectures: There will be approximately 6 formal lectures.  The remainder of the lectures will be used for project collaboration, design reviews, presentations and special topic lectures as needed.  At least a half-hour of each class period will be used for project meetings, with the balance devoted to lectures and presentations.

   Special sessions: We may schedule one or two special sessions to discuss and decide on possible class projects.

   Reading: Most of the relevant material will be provided. You may have to research special topics via the Web and library. 

   Assignments: There will be four laboratory assignments that will familiarize you with the embedded 8051 microcontroller and the XS300/800 board you'll be using for your projects. Our goal is to have the laboratory experiences be directly relevant to your projects. The laboratory assignments will also serve to familiarize you with construction and debugging equipment we have available. 

   Exam: There will be a single 50 minute mid-term exam that will be open book and notes (only your own, of course). There will be no final exam. 

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Grading

The course grade will be roughly determined as follows: 

     20%: laboratory assignments 
     20%: midterm exam 
     50%: project 
     10%: class participation 

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Collaboration

Part of the objective of this course is to provide some experience in working as a team.  Since the class is small, we will work as one project team. However, this does not mean that there should be a split in the material to be learned. There is a simple rule to keep in mind when working with a partner(s): each of you should be able to answer any question about the laboratory assignment or project. You should never utter words equivalent to: "my partner did that, I need to ask her what she did."  Part of your project write-up will include a statement about each person's precise role in the design and realization of the project. 

You are free to work with anyone in interpreting assignments and on developing facility with the software tools we will be using. However, you should thoroughly understand the solutions to the assignments that your team generates, not to mention that you should know the project like the back of your hand. On the midterm exam, all work should be solely your own. 

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 Last Updated:
3/24/2002

Contact the instructor at: ebeling@cs.washington.edu