Final Year Project (FYP) 2016-2017 School of Computer and Communication Engineering Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP)

Chapter 3

Methodology - Has the problem been “solved”? PURPOSE The method section answers these two main questions: How was the data collected or generated? 2. How was it analyzed? In general, - Has the problem been “solved”? - To what extent have the objectives been achieved? In other words, it shows your reader how you obtained your results.

But why do you need to explain how you obtained your results?    We need to know how the data was obtained because the method affects the results. Your methodology should make clear the reasons why you chose a particular method or procedure. The reader wants to know that the data was collected or generated in a way that is consistent with accepted practice in the field of study.

If you propose a new model/approach/concept, it has to discuss the model/ approach/concept from the beginning till the end. It has to be accompanied with the correctness of the model/ approach /concept . This can be done through implementation or mathematical approach. The implementation can be either simulation or real-time test case.

COMMON PROBLEMS Irrelevant detail Unnecessary explanation of basic procedures Common blindness (survey)

Voice in the Method chapter Passive voice rather than active voice WHY USE PASSIVE VOICE? People reading your report are going to be far less interested in you than in your work so the emphasis should be on what you did and not on you. Also, by not saying "I implemented the architecture" but "The architecture was implemented" you make your writing sound more objective.

WRITING ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE DONE Avoid using "I" or "we". By convention, if the passive voice is used we assume that an action was carried out by the researcher/s, and we don't say directly who did it.

For example: INCORRECT The temperature inside the chamber was increased from 0 C to 20 C by the researcher. CORRECT The temperature inside the chamber was increased from 0 C to 20 C. (We assume the researcher increased the temperature.) INCORRECT Four thermocouples were monitored hourly by the researcher. CORRECT Four thermocouples were monitored hourly. (We assume the researcher monitored them.)           

WRITING ABOUT WHAT THE EQUIPMENT HAS DONE The active voice is usually used when the equipment has performed an action (i.e. when it is not the researcher/s who have performed the action). For example: A 200hp generator provided power to the piezometers. Control gauges monitored air pressure inside the chamber. The use of active voice indicates that the researchers were not directly involved in the functioning of the equipment. The passive voice can be used to describe an action involving equipment, but a "by" clause must be included to which equipment performed the action. Power was supplied by 14 generators with capacities ranging from 90 to 300 KW.

An Example

FPGA chip ECCA Conduit IDB ODB I/P_ Address Gen. Signal Emulator View Sub-Sys. to DAC Conduit Input Unit Manager Array Data ECCA Kalman Filter Extended Unscented Particle REP (Target Configuration) (Localizer) Control Sub-Sys. to Drivers Serial Data M_clk. Clock Gen. O/P_ Address Gen. FPGA chip

FPGA chip RCB I FPGA chip Digital I/O Analog I/O ADC DAC ECCA Conduit M_clk. Core Processor ECCA Array Data Serial Data FPGA chip IDB Signal Emulator ODB to Drivers DAC Conduit View Sub-Sys. O/P_ Address Gen. Control Clock Input Unit Manager I/P_ Address Kalman Filter Extended Unscented Particle REP (Target Configuration) (Localizer) Digital I/O FPGA chip Analog I/O External Memory ADC DAC

System FPGA chip Digital I/O Analog I/O ADC DAC Instrument 1 I/O External Memory Digital I/O Analog I/O RCB I Instrument 1 I/O I/O Instrument 2 I/O Instrument N

FPGA Implementation Combination of Embedded Multithreading Data pumped in packets Structural System design

Flow diagram of the FPGA design and Verification

Thank you