1. ECE 445 Resources Kevin Bassett September 2, 2014

2. 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

3. 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

4. Computing Options AdvantagesDisadvantagesExamples Microcontroller Very low power “All-in-one” Integrated peripherals Cheap Limited RAM and Flash 8 or 16 bit processor Limited performance Microchip PIC TI MSP430 Cypress PSoC Atmel AVR Low-end ARM variants DSP Specialized ISA SIMD instructions MAC instructions Buffers designed for streams of data Not well suited for general problems Microchip dsPIC TI C5000 / C6000 TI OMAP Embedded Processor Moderate power Full scale performance Can run Linux or Windows Complex, usually involving multiple support chips High-end ARM variants Intel Quark (on Galileo) Intel Atom

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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 projects Flexure Sensor Rotary Encoder Ambient Light Sensor Thermopile Ultrasonic Distance Sensor

8. Example: Distance  Questions –What range? –Through what medium? –What accuracy? –What repetition rate?  Options –Ultrasonic Time-of-flight –Laser Time-of-flight –Interferometry –Parallax

9. E-CAD Software  Schematic entry and PCB design  We have licenses for EAGLE and Cadence  In-class EAGLE Tutorial in a couple weeks

10. Lab Equipment  Digital Multi-meters  Oscilloscopes  Power Supplies  Network Analyzers  LCR Meters  Logic Analyzers  Programmers

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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 prices at the ECE shop, local hardware stores, and online