ECE 445 ResourcesKevin Bassett

September 2, 2014

Outline

Microcontrollers vs. DSPs vs. Embedded Processors– Brands and Series– Development Tools

Sensors– More than one way to skin a cat

Software– E-CAD for PCB Design

Lab Equipment Tools

The Main Point…

We have a LOT of stuff– Way more than we could fit into a presentation

Talk to your TA, If we don’t have exactly what you’re looking for, we probably have something very similar

Computing OptionsAdvantages Disadvantages Examples

Microcontroller• Very low power• “All-in-one”• Integrated peripherals• Cheap

• Limited RAM and Flash

• 8 or 16 bit processor• Limited performance

Microchip PICTI MSP430Cypress PSoCAtmel AVRLow-end ARM variants

DSP• Specialized ISA• SIMD instructions• MAC instructions• Buffers designed for

streams of data

• Not well suited for general problems

Microchip dsPICTI C5000 / C6000TI OMAP

EmbeddedProcessor

• Moderate power• Full scale performance• Can run Linux or

Windows

• Complex, usually involving multiple support chips

High-end ARM variantsIntel Quark (on Galileo)Intel Atom

Development Tools

Dev Boards – MSP430 LaunchPad, PIC18 Explorer, PSoC devkit

Software IDE– CCS for MSP430 (and DSPs), MPLAB for PICs, PSoC Designer for

Cypress PSoC

Microcontroller Selection

MYTH: “I need an Atmel AVR to do this” or “I need an FPGA (or DSP) to do this”

TRUTH: All microcontroller brands are very similar and offer a rich feature set

TRUTH: Although a problem may be more suited to an FPGA or DSP, that doesn’t mean you CAN’T do it on a microcontroller

Don’t pick your part based on what “some guy said online” or because “your friend used this one”

Research what is available and make an informed decision appropriate for your project

If you don’t have a strong brand preference, you may want to consider which series your TA is most familiar with

Sensors

Don’t reinvent the wheel, unless that’s the title of your project– Don’t spend a lot of time trying to design a sensor that exists if

that isn’t the main point of your project Lots of commonly available sensors can be found in the

lab and are frequently used in projectsFlexure Sensor

Rotary Encoder

Ambient Light Sensor

Thermopile

Ultrasonic Distance Sensor

Example: Distance

Questions– What range?– Through what medium?– What accuracy?– What repetition rate?

Options– Ultrasonic Time-of-flight– Laser Time-of-flight– Interferometry– Parallax

E-CAD Software

Schematic entry and PCB design We have licenses for EAGLE and Cadence In-class EAGLE Tutorial in a couple weeks

Lab Equipment

Digital Multi-meters Oscilloscopes Power Supplies Network Analyzers

LCR Meters Logic Analyzers Programmers

Lab Equipment

If you are not 100% sure of how to make a particular measurement or use a piece of equipment, talk to your TA

“There are no stupid questions” when it comes to lab equipment, don’t be afraid to ask for a refresher on how a particular piece of equipment works

READ THE MANUAL!– Good manuals for pretty much all the equipment in the lab

can be found searching the manufacturer website

Lab Equipment

Respect the lab equipment– Lab equipment is extremely expensive– Some lab equipment can easily be broken and require expensive repairs– Read warning labels, know equipment capabilities and limitations– Bad measurement? Is it the equipment or your test setup or project?

Pay Attention to Warnings

Tools

It is highly recommended that you purchase some basic tools for yourself and keep them in your lab kit or backpack– Wire cutters– Needle-nosed pliers– Screwdriver set

Tools are available for reasonable pricesat the ECE shop, local hardware stores, and online