Digital Electronics, Microcontrollers, and Robotics

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Digital Electronics, Microcontrollers, and
Robotics
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Outline

• Who
• Dave Wittry Don Allen (Troy), Ken Gracey
  (Parallax)
• Why
• show you enough fun things that you might want to
  start/add to a class
• Game plan
• ICT, Microcontroller Course, Parallax
• www.troyhigh.com/wittry
• all info today can be found here
• docs, this presentation, more (for
  tests/quizzes, contact us)

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ICT

• History of the development of the class.
• from general electronics to digital/computer
  electronics
• the infusion of ACSL-like topics

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A bit - about - the bits that make up the class
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Numbering Systems (1.5 weeks)

• conversions Baseany ? BaseanyOther
• addition/subtraction

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Logic gates (3 weeks)

• AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR, XNOR
• wiring the labs
• breadboards, chips, leds (little exploding
  devices)
• lab sheets/assignments
• the lab itself

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Karnaugh (K-Maps), NAND Implementations, Minterms
(2 weeks)

• method of simplifying boolean algebra expressions

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Boolean Algebra (2 weeks)

• basic laws plus some specific only to boolean
  values
• DeMorgans Laws

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DoorGoatWolf, AirLock, Football Projects

• ties all topics to this point together
• requirements

Project
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Flip-Flops (2 weeks)

• RS, RS-clocked, D, J-K
• basic building block of shift-registers,
  counters, memory devices
• students find it cool that the same switch
  combination can result in a different output
  (output based on last outcome)

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Counters (3 weeks)

• up, down, mod-N counters, using a 555-timer

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Shift Registers (2 weeks)

• left, right, re-circulating
• multiplying/dividing by 2
• bit string flicking (ACSL)

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Adders/Subtractors (3 weeks)

• ½ adders, full adders, ½ subtractor, full
  subtractors
• 1s and 2s Complement, integer math
• binary multiplication

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Equipment costs

• Per group (2 students)
• breadboard, power supply (75)
• 20 chips (15)
• wires, template
• 6 LEDs (1)
• Class set
• logic probe (10), multi-meter (15)
• pliers, cutters, stripers, solder, solder-iron,
  misc. (50)

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Programming Microcontrollers Robotics

• History and Motivation for the class
• melding of hardware software
• freedom to experiment and have fun with practical
  labs before it gets serious in college
• BS2 sounded like fun and the means to my end
  took 2-day educator course from Parallax
• great if youre a newbie to controllers
• the curriculum is fun (WAM, BAD, IC, Robotics)

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Programming Microcontrollers Robotics (contd)

• much harder to get physical, real-world projects
  to do exactly what you want (neat!) as opposed to
  a software (theoretical) class
• theyll need time to experiment and try
  algorithms
• cool thing I learned right away watch out how
  much you tell them theyre smarter/more
  creative than you! Let them suggest lab ideas
  and then try some.

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Teaching Style Prerequisites

• if you plan on teaching this type of course using
  a facilitative approach, keep prerequisites high
• 20 students or so
• otherwise youre in for a nightmare with such an
  independent, self-motivated type curriculum and
  somewhat expensive hardware
• great for middle-schools students as well
• this class is LOTS of fun to teach

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The BS2 and How it Works
Code
Wiring
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Interfacing to the real-world through a variety
of devices

• limited only by your imagination
• Types of devices you can interface to the
  BasicStamp
• almost anything!
• simple electronics stuff plus the more
  advanced/fun things (sound module, RF
  receiver/transmitter, video, web servermore from
  Ken)

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Electronics Component Companies

• http//www.stampsinclass.com (Parallax)
• http//www.elexp.com/ (Electronix Express)
• http//www.jameco.com/ (Jameco)
• http//www.kelvin.com/ (Kelvin)
• more easy to find on web

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Robotics Labs

• great curriculum, well-written, nice springboard
  to bigger better things, great for Back-To-School
  night
• usage of servos, usage of devices already
  played with (potentiometer for direction
  control, button for go/stop, etc.) (Francisco)

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Robotics Labs (contd)

• line following (photo-resistors, TROY
  sign-following
• Maze labs (spend as much time as you want here
  its where they have the most fun)
• maze construction/development
• floor, walls, costs
• one-hallway maze
• find way in, report at end, find way out
• using whiskers
• using infrared devices

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Robotics Labs (contd)

• algorithms learned/discovered (careful how much
  you tell them)
• follow-wall-right (quick bit on Karel)
• spin off idea (stay straight and follow wall)
• will be neat to try with Fuzzy Logic concepts
• bump-and-turn

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Student-Designed Project

• provided you have a budget, let students go
  through web sites, magazines/catalogs (Parallax,
  Nuts-And-Volts, Robot Magazine, Mouser, etc.),
  books and design a project. Limit them as to how
  much they can spend. Have them prove they can
  make it work - then buy materials and have them
  go at it

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Fuzzy Logic (optional topic)

• read a book in an engineering class? boy am I
  mean!
• Bart Koskos Fuzzy Thinking is a nice, friendly
  place to start
• current technology used in control systems to
  give smoother, simpler control of complex systems
• eventually implement a fuzzy-controlled system
  with Parallaxs new Java-enabled microcontroller