Topics include data in embedded systems, displays, codecs, processor and bus "flavors", the boot process, real-time scheduling and device drivers.
Zoom link for live class. Instructor: Adam Hoover
Teaching assistant: Connor Ennis, email cjennis@clemson.edu Syllabus| Day | Lecture topics (instructor notes) | Extra references | Lab assigned | Lab due | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday, 1/9 | Introduction, embedded system data types. Zoom 2025 | An example C program, and a second C program, that demonstrate background necessary for this course. | |||
| Tuesday, 1/14 | Images, displays. Zoom 2025 | An example C program that reads a PPM format image. Coding challenge. | |||
| Thursday, 1/16 | introduction to lab computers | lab 1 - image display. The code stubs for the X version and Windows version of the lab. See above link for images. | |||
| Tuesday, 1/21 | Colormaps, image bits Zoom 2025 | ||||
| Thursday, 1/23 | Helper programs, test cases Zoom 2025 | ||||
| Tuesday, 1/28 | RLE codec Zoom 2025 | lab 2 - RLE codec. See above link for images. | Lab 1 due. Code must be submitted to canvas by the end of this day. Demo sessions in Riggs 309 will be posted on Canvas. | ||
| Thursday, 1/30 | LZW codec Zoom 2025 | Worksheet to practice LZW decoding. | lab 3 - LZW codec. See above link for images. | ||
| Tuesday, 2/4 | Huffman codec Zoom 2025 | lab 4 - Huffman codec.
See above link for images. Partner suggestions solicitied. |
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| Thursday, 2/6 | JPEG codec Zoom 2024 | Lab 2 due. Code must be submitted to canvas by the end of this day. Demo sessions will be posted on Canvas. | |||
| Tuesday, 2/11 | microcontrollers Zoom 2025 | ||||
| Thursday, 2/13 | digital signal processors (DSP chips) Zoom 2025 | ||||
| Tuesday, 2/18 | out of town, watch zoom | Partner teams determined. | Lab 3 due. Code must be submitted to canvas by the end of this day. Demo sessions will be posted on Canvas. | ||
| Thursday, 2/20 | out of town, watch zoom | ||||
| Tuesday, 2/25 | example presentations: ARM processors and SHARC DSPs. Which is good and which is bad? Zoom 2025 | Midterm. Topics solicited. | |||
| Thursday, 2/27 | triangle rendering Zoom 2025 | See John Burkardt's site for a large selection of PLY files. Examples solving a plane-ray intersection. An explanation of using the cross product test to determine if a point is inside a triangle. Help on rotation matrices and how to use them. | lab 5 - triangle rendering. Some PLY files available here. | ||
| Tuesday, 3/4 | graphics processors (GPUs) Zoom 2025 |
The relationship between image pixels, rays and triangles. The concept of a z-buffer. Using vertex colors during triangle rendering. Interactive barycentric coordinates demo. The effect of indirect lighting. A 2D example of surface normal interpolation. A comparison of color vs surface normal interpolation. How textures are applied to triangles. Demo of different textures applied to a cube shape. |
Lab 4 due. Code must be submitted to canvas by the end of this day. Demo sessions will be posted on Canvas. | ||
| Thursday, 3/6 | Microsoft anti-trust case Zoom 2025 | midterm topics due | |||
| Tuesday, 3/11 | midterm presentations, 2025 | Online links to use will be distributed via email/canvas. | |||
| Thursday, 3/13 | midterm presentations, 2025 | Online links to use will be distributed via email/canvas. | |||
| Tuesday, 3/18 | no class - Spring break | ||||
| Thursday, 3/20 | no class - Spring break | ||||
| Tuesday, 3/25 | the boot process Zoom 2025 | A wiki list of Linux distributions. | lab 6 - booting and the kernel. The manual for completing the lab on your own PC/laptop. The manual for the completing the Riggs 309 version of the lab. The virtual machine to get you started on the Riggs 309 version. | Lab 5 due. Code must be submitted to canvas by the end of this day. Demo sessions will be posted on Canvas. | |
| Thursday, 3/27 | Energy intake research Zoom 2025 | ||||
| Tuesday, 4/1 | example embedded system: bite counter Zoom 2025 | ||||
| Thursday, 4/3 | device drivers Zoom 2025 | Optional. lab 7 - device driver. The manual for the lab. The programming guide for the sound card. The virtual machine with sound to get you started. The sound data to use for the lab. | Lab 6 due. No code turned in. Demo sessions will be posted on Canvas. | ||
| Tuesday, 4/8 | real-time O/S Zoom 2025 | Scheduling examples. | Final. Topics solicited. A bad report and a good report. |
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| Thursday, 4/10 | dynamic scheduling protocols Zoom 2025 | RMA protocol examples, excerpt from Briand and Roy's book. | |||
| Tuesday, 4/15 | rate monotonic analysis Zoom 2025 | What happened on Mars?,
a great example of a scheduling problem. Video simulation of Mars pathfinder landing. |
lab 8 - rate monotonic analysis. | Optional. Lab 7 due. No code turned in. Demo sessions will be posted on Canvas. | |
| Thursday, 4/17 | Embedded system development Zoom 2025 | Final topics due by 12 Noon so that the schedule can be determined and presented during class. | |||
| Tuesday, 4/22 | final presentations (2025) | ||||
| Thursday, 4/24 | final presentations (2025) | Lab 8 due. Code and report must be posted to canvas by the
end of this day. Final presentation must be posted to canvas by the end of this day. |
