Overview
This unit will introduce you to microcontroller basics and their real-world applications. Fundamentals of high-level structured language programming, essential for programming a microcontroller, will be taught in this unit. You will learn about different microcontroller families and their similarities and differences from an application point of view. You will also learn about microcontroller architecture, memory maps, addressing modes, interrupts, timers, counters, and hardware interfacing of a chosen microcontroller. You will learn how to program a microcontroller in a high-level language using an integrated development environment. Advance topics of reading analog inputs, implementation of Universal Synchronous Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter connections with the external world, Pulse Width Modulation, will also be covered in this unit. After learning the fundamentals of hardware interfacing you will practice them in a laboratory using a microcontroller development system based on a specific microcontroller and finally design and prototype a real-world application of the embedded system in your project using the same development system. In this unit, you must complete compulsory practical activities. Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for proposed dates.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Prerequisite: (ENEE13020 Digital Electronics AND ENEE13018 Analogue Electronics) OR ENEX12002 Introductory Electronics
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2023
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Residential Schools
This unit has a Compulsory Residential School for distance mode students and the details are:
Click here to see your Residential School Timetable.
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 12-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 25 hours of study per week, making a total of 300 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Unit Coordinator's reflection
Further exercises and explanations into some aspects of the hardware programming will be helpful.
Incorporating and highlighting hardware programming examples in lectures and tutorials and providing more explanation of codes.
Feedback from Unit Coordinator's reflection
The use of physical hardware in this unit gave the opportunity to apply knowledge into practice.
This practice will be continued.
Feedback from Unit Coordinator's reflection
C programming can be unfamiliar to some students. It is useful to provide more learning support
Supporting materials for learning C programming will be provided and tutorials will cover examples to bring students up to speed with the required programming level.
- Apply fundamental structured programming knowledge to develop software solutions
- Program a microcontroller to interface with external devices such as analog and digital sensors, actuators, and computers
- Analyse and design microcontroller-based real-time applications using a given industry standard development system and software tools
- Prototype an embedded microcontroller system for an authentic application
- Communicate professionally using relevant technical terminology, symbols, and diagrams and effectively document design and prototyped solutions
- Work autonomously and as a team member to analyse problems and present solutions.
The Learning Outcomes for this unit are linked with the Engineers Australia Stage 1 Competency Standards for Professional Engineers in the areas of 1. Knowledge and Skill Base, 2. Engineering Application Ability and 3. Professional and Personal Attributes at the following levels:
Introductory
1.2 Conceptual understanding of the mathematics, numerical analysis, statistics, and computer and information sciences which underpin the engineering discipline. (LO: 1N 4N)
1.5 Knowledge of engineering design practice and contextual factors impacting the engineering discipline. (LO: 4N)
Intermediate
1.1 Comprehensive, theory-based understanding of the underpinning natural and physical sciences and the engineering fundamentals applicable to the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 2I 3I 4I)
3.6 Effective team membership and team leadership. (LO: 5I 6I)
Advanced
1.3 In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline. (LO: 2I 3I 4A)
1.4 Discernment of knowledge development and research directions within the engineering discipline. (LO: 1I 2I 3I 4A)
1.6 Understanding of the scope, principles, norms, accountabilities, and bounds of sustainable engineering practice in the specific discipline. (LO: 3I 4A)
2.1 Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving. (LO: 2I 3I 4A)
2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools, and resources. (LO: 1I 2I 3I 4A)
2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes. (LO: 4A)
2.4 Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and management of engineering projects. (LO: 4A)
3.1 Ethical conduct and professional accountability. (LO: 3I 4I 5A 6A)
3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains. (LO: 5A 6A)
3.3 Creative, innovative and pro-active demeanour. (LO: 3I 4A 5A 6A)
3.4 Professional use and management of information. (LO: 3I 4A 5A 6A)
3.5 Orderly management of self, and professional conduct. (LO: 5A 6A)
Note: LO refers to the Learning Outcome number(s) which link to the competency and the levels: N – Introductory, I – Intermediate and A - Advanced.
Refer to the Engineering Undergraduate Course Moodle site for further information on the Engineers Australia's Stage 1 Competency Standard for Professional Engineers and course level mapping information https://moodle.cqu.edu.au/course/view.php?id=1511
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 25% | ||||||
| 2 - Written Assessment - 25% | ||||||
| 3 - Portfolio - 50% | ||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Access to a document scanner and a software that can create pdf documents
- Access to a computer with Windows 10 with authoity to install software required for the unit
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
l.piyathilaka@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
• Introduction to Embedded Systems and Microcontrollers
• Introduction to programming languages
• Introduction to C language Programming environment
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
• Programming in C language - Fundamentals
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
• PIC Microcontroller and MPLAB X - Introduction
• Programming in C language - Essentials I
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
• PIC 18F4321 Memory, input and output
• Programming in C language - Essentials II
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
• PIC18F4321 Architecture and addressing modes
• Programming in C language - Intermediate level
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
• PIC 18F4321 hardware interfacing I - LCD display units, SSD
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Project proposal
Module/Topic
• PIC 18F4321 hardware interfacing II - sensors (analog and digital)
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Project update presentations
Module/Topic
• PIC 18F4321 hardware interfacing III - motors and actuators
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
• PIC 18F4321 hardware interfacing IV - keypads, timers, ultrasound sensors, and advanced sensors
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
• PIC18F4321 communication - RS232
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Project Update Presentations
Assignment 2: Hardware Programming using CQU PIC Development kit Due: Week 10 Monday (15 May 2023) 11:45 pm AEST
Module/Topic
- Embedded microcontroller future opportunities
- Project help
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Project help
Chapter
N/A
Events and Submissions/Topic
Project Update Presentations
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
This unit includes intensive laboratory classes. Please check the timetable for the location and dates.
1 Written Assessment
Week 5 Friday (7 Apr 2023) 11:45 pm AEST
Marked assignment with feedback will be returned to students usually within 2 weeks after submission. However, there will be no model answers provided.
Detailed assessment criteria are in the assignment itself.
This assignment is based on C language programming skills. To obtain full marks students must provide all in detail problem solving and solution development pieces of evidence. Each student must have their unique programs developed by themselves. Answer to every problem should include a flowchart / NS-diagram or other similar graphical representation of the solution. Students should submit the complete working C language code for each question. A clean working program as the answer to a question without evidence of the development of it (e.g. without a soft copy of workbook pages relevant to it) will receive a maximum of 50% of the allocated marks for that question.
- Apply fundamental structured programming knowledge to develop software solutions
2 Written Assessment
This assignment evaluates your essential C language programming skills for embedded microcontroller programming. You will be tested on your ability to develop solutions for given problems and implement them on the CQU PIC development board using MPLAB X IDE and C language.
Before starting the coding, it's crucial to analyze the system, create a conceptual solution, and develop a graphical representation. All your work, including software codes and demonstration videos, must be submitted as evidence of your individual efforts. Technical details regarding the assignment will be provided upon receiving the task.
It is important to note that this is an individual assessment, and no collaboration or contribution from others is permitted.
Week 10 Monday (15 May 2023) 11:45 pm AEST
Marked assignment with feedback will be returned to students usually within 2 weeks after submission. However, there will be no model answers provided.
Detailed assessment criteria are in the assignment itself.
To obtain full marks students must provide all in detail problem solving and solution development evidence. Each student must have their unique programs developed by themselves. Answer to every problem should include a flowchart/ NS-diagram or other similar graphical representation of the solution. Students should submit the complete working C language code for each question. A clean working program as the answer to a question without evidence of the development of it ( e.g. a soft copy of workbook pages relevant to it or an explanation of your code) will receive a maximum of 50% of the allocated marks for that question. No assembly language solutions or subroutines are allowed.
- Program a microcontroller to interface with external devices such as analog and digital sensors, actuators, and computers
- Analyse and design microcontroller-based real-time applications using a given industry standard development system and software tools
- Prototype an embedded microcontroller system for an authentic application
- Work autonomously and as a team member to analyse problems and present solutions.
3 Portfolio
This project is a key component of the unit, providing both guided and open-ended opportunities for students to demonstrate their abilities. The main hardware used for the project is the CQU PIC Development Kit and the sensor/actuator board provided by CQU. You have the freedom to utilize additional sensors, actuators, and accessories at your own cost. The main objective is to create a working prototype of an embedded system solution for a real-world issue. Your prototype's performance will be assessed at the end of the term.
Please keep in mind that this is an individual assessment and no collaboration or assistance from others is permitted.
Review/Exam Week Wednesday (7 June 2023) 11:45 pm AEST
Marked portfolio will be returned with feedback after the day of the certification of grades.
The portfolio marks will be allocated to the project depth, the successfulness of each individual element, the successfulness of integrating all elements into a complete working prototype, and professional documentation related to the project.
The portfolio marks will also be allocated to the level of the project, the level of successful completion, the level of programming techniques and effective memory usage, etc.
A detailed description of the portfolio assessment criteria will be available in Moodle.
- Apply fundamental structured programming knowledge to develop software solutions
- Program a microcontroller to interface with external devices such as analog and digital sensors, actuators, and computers
- Analyse and design microcontroller-based real-time applications using a given industry standard development system and software tools
- Prototype an embedded microcontroller system for an authentic application
- Communicate professionally using relevant technical terminology, symbols, and diagrams and effectively document design and prototyped solutions
- Work autonomously and as a team member to analyse problems and present solutions.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
