Microcontrollers

COMP22712 Microcontrollers 10 Semester 2 Undergraduate Level 2 James Garside Unit coordinator 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Middle part of Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 5.0 The module is a strong practical reinforcement of the software/hardware interface. It provides experience in hardware/software codesign as well as dealing with interfacing techniques, from 'bit fiddling' to interrupt routines. There is also an underpinning of operating systems and their implications in machine architecture. The module uses custom designed hardware and software tools developed locally for this specific purpose. The module is a strong practical reinforcement of the software/hardware interface. It provides experience in hardware/software codesign as well as dealing with interfacing techniques, from 'bit fiddling' to interrupt routines. There is also an underpinning of operating systems and their implications in machine architecture. The module uses custom designed hardware and software tools developed locally for this specific purpose.  This course unit detail provides the framework for delivery in 2025/6. This module aims to familiarise students with the use of microprocessors/microcontrollers for simple control and interfacing applications. The module aims to develop the understanding of the programming and operation of a microprocessor (the RISC-V introduced in COMP15111) to include modular program construction, separation of user and operating system tasks and interfacing techniques at the hardware and software levels.  This course builds upon the understanding of processor operation and assembler programming introduced in COMP15111 and upon the logic design in introduced in COMP12111 to show how hardware and software interact in solving interfacing problems.  There is some variation towards the end of the module to accommodate different backgrounds. <wbr style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" /><ul id="docs-internal-guid-74f69a4e-7fff-d68c-a170-088549b700af"> <li dir="ltr"> interface, from the software side input and output devices with an embedded controller</li> <li dir="ltr"> customise simple digital I/O hardware</li> <li dir="ltr"> properly understand the von Neumann memory architecture (I can't think of a circumlocution which expresses this any better even if it does use a naughty word!)</li> <li dir="ltr"> write reasonably sizeable assembly language routines with all the familiarity with processor architecture that entails</li> <li dir="ltr"> write I/O software for parallel interfaces, including time-division multiplexing and timers</li> <li dir="ltr"> write interrupt-driven code</li> <li dir="ltr"> structure, lay-out and document code to a maintainable standard</li></ul> Analytical skills Innovation/creativity Problem solving Other <ul><li>Basic Interfacing [1]</li><li>Parallel I/O [2]</li><li>Procedure calls, Nesting & Stacking [2]</li><li>System calls, Privilege levels, Initialisation [2]</li><li>Timers [3]</li><li>Interrupts [2]</li><li>Real-time operation, User interaction [2]</li><li>Introduction to Verilog [3]/System design [3]</li><li>System design [3]/Project [3]</li></ul> LecturesNo formal lecturesLaboratories44 hours in total, 22 2-hour sessions 8 Practical skills assessment 100% Direct verbal feedback and advice in scheduled laboratory sessions. 'Automatic' feedback from tools seeing exercises work/fail. Written feedback by annotating listings from submitted exercises. COMP15111 Fundamentals of Computer Architecture Pre-Requisite Compulsory Students who are not from the School of Computer Science must have permission from both Computer Science and their home School to enrol. Y <a href="http://studentnet.cs.manchester.ac.uk/syllabus/index.php?code=COMP22712&year=2020" target="_blank">COMP22712 reading list</a> can be found on the Department of Computer Science website for current students. Practical classes & workshops 24 0 76 Course unit materials<a target="_blank" href="http://studentnet.cs.manchester.ac.uk/ugt/syllabus.php">Links to course unit teaching materials</a> can be found on the School of Computer Science website for current students.