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Utilizing a System-on-Chip Project as a Capstone Experience in a Microprocessors Course

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Conference

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

San Antonio, Texas

Publication Date

June 10, 2012

Start Date

June 10, 2012

End Date

June 13, 2012

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Capstone Projects and Experiential Learning

Tagged Division

Engineering Technology

Page Count

11

Page Numbers

25.1452.1 - 25.1452.11

DOI

10.18260/1-2--22209

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/22209

Download Count

659

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Paper Authors

biography

Scott James Schneider University of Dayton

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Scott J. Schneider is an Associate Professor of electronic and computer engineering technology at the University of Dayton. Schneider has extensive industrial experience in the areas of software development, embedded real-time system design, and automotive technologies. He also performs research in the areas of computer and software engineering pedagogy.

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biography

Seth Jarek Peterson University of Dayton

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Seth J. Peterson is a fifth-year undergraduate student of electronic and computer engineering technology at the University of Dayton. Peterson has experience in the areas of software development and embedded hardware design. He enjoys enhancing the capabilities and functionality of both hardware and software in his spare time.

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Abstract

Utilizing a System-on-Chip Project as a Capstone Experience in a Microprocessors CourseIn an introductory microprocessors course, students utilize a Field Programmable Gate Array(FPGA) and the Verilog Hardware Description Language (HDL) to study microprocessors.Students utilize both structural and behavioral Verilog code to develop the fundamental buildingblocks of a processor, culminating in the design and implementation of a simple ALU includingan instruction memory and program counter. Once they have studied the internal architecture ofa microprocessor, the students then employ a small 8-bit embedded processor through a system-on-chip design process. Working with the embedded processor allows the student to study theinstruction set architecture (ISA) of a microprocessor utilizing assembly language programming.This paper focuses primarily on the capstone design project that the students complete within thismicroprocessor course. This project requires the students to develop a complete microprocessorsystem for audio recording and playback utilizing the embedded processor and any necessaryinterface hardware. Therefore, to complete the project each student is responsible for bothhardware and software development; a true co-design experience. During this process thestudents must determine what functionality will be performed within hardware and which will bedeveloped within software, as well as, how each subsystem will be tested in support of the finalproject. The developed microprocessor system must include interfaces for analog-to-digitalconversion for audio recording, data memory for audio file storage, and digital-to-analogconversion for audio playback. Additionally, the system must include a user interface forperforming the record and playback operations. The complete system requirements will bedetailed in this paper along with one student’s design solution.

Schneider, S. J., & Peterson, S. J. (2012, June), Utilizing a System-on-Chip Project as a Capstone Experience in a Microprocessors Course Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--22209

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