Digital Electronics, Microcontrollers, Robotics 1 Digital Electronics, Microcontrollers, and Robotics

1Digital Electronics, Microcontrollers, Robotics

Digital Electronics, Microcontrollers, and Robotics

DaveWittry

DonAllen

Controllers &Robotics

LED (LotsofEnjoyableDidactics!ok, sorry)

Electronics &CS

KenGracey


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)


ICT

• History of the development of the class.

• from general electronics to digital/computer electronics

• the infusion of ACSL-like topics


A bit - about - the bits … that make up the class


Numbering Systems (1.5 weeks)

• conversions: Baseany BaseanyOther

• addition/subtraction


Logic gates (3 weeks)

• AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR, XNOR

• wiring the labs– breadboards, chips, led’s (little exploding

devices)

• lab sheets/assignments

• the lab itself


Karnaugh (K-Maps), NAND Implementations, Minterms

(2 weeks)

• method of simplifying boolean algebra expressions


Boolean Algebra (2 weeks)

• basic laws plus some specific only to boolean values

• DeMorgan’s Laws


Door–Goat–Wolf, AirLock, Football Projects

• ties all topics to this point together

• requirements

Project


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)


Counters (3 weeks)

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


Shift Registers (2 weeks)

• left, right, re-circulating

• multiplying/dividing by 2

• bit string flicking (ACSL)


Adders/Subtractors (3 weeks)

• ½ adders, full adders, ½ subtractor, full subtractors

• 1’s and 2’s Complement, integer math

• binary multiplication


Equipment costs

• Per group (2 students)– breadboard, power supply ($75)

– 20 chips ($15)

– wires, template

– 6 LED’s ($1)

• Class set– logic probe ($10), multi-meter ($15)

– pliers, cutters, stripers, solder, solder-iron, misc. ($50)


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 you’re a newbie to controllers

– the curriculum is fun (WAM, BAD, IC, Robotics)


Programming Microcontrollers & Robotics

(cont’d)

• much harder to get physical, real-world projects to do exactly what you want (neat!) as opposed to a software (theoretical) class– they’ll need time to experiment and try

algorithms

• cool thing I learned right away: watch out how much you tell them – they’re smarter/more creative than you! Let them suggest lab ideas and then try some.


Teaching Style & Prerequisites

• if you plan on teaching this type of course using a facilitative approach, keep prerequisites high – 20 students or so– otherwise you’re 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


The BS2 and How it Works

Code Wiring


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 server…more from Ken)


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


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)


Robotics Labs (cont’d)

• line following (photo-resistors, “TROY” sign-following

• Maze labs (spend as much time as you want here – it’s 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


Robotics Labs (cont’d)

• 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


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


Fuzzy Logic (optional topic)

• read a book in an engineering class? boy am I mean!

• Bart Kosko’s “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 Parallax’s new Java-enabled microcontroller

Documents

Digital Electronics, Microcontrollers, Robotics 1 Digital Electronics, Microcontrollers, and Robotics