Abstract
A Novel Rail-Network Hardware with simulation facilities is presented in this paper. The hardware is designed to facilitate the learning of application-oriented, logical, real-time programming in an embedded system environment. The platform enables the creation of multiple unique programming scenarios with variability in complexity without any hardware changes. Prior experimental hardware comes with static programming facilities that focus the students’ learning on hardware features and programming basics, leaving them ill-equipped to take up practical applications with more real-time constraints. This hardware complements and completes their learning to help them program real-world embedded systems. The hardware uses LEDs to simulate the movement of trains in a network. The network has train stations, intersections and parking slots where the train movements can be controlled by using a 16-bit Renesas RL78/G13 microcontroller. Additionally, simulating facilities are provided to enable the students to navigate the trains by manual controls using switches and indicators. This helps them get an easy understanding of train navigation functions before taking up programming. The students start with simple tasks and gradually progress to more complicated ones with real-time constraints, on their own. During training, students’ learning outcomes are evaluated by obtaining their feedback and conducting a test at the end to measure their knowledge acquisition during the training. Students’ Knowledge Enhancement Index is originated to measure the knowledge acquired by the students. It is observed that 87% of students have successfully enhanced their knowledge undergoing training with this rail-network simulator.
Highlights
In the Indian technical education, courses on embedded systems started in the early 1980s, studying the microprocessors 8085 and Z80, and slowly moved to cover microcontroller 8051 and its derivatives and proceeded to PIC, AVR and 68XX families and settled on ARM and Renesas parts in recent days.The content of all these courses focused on understanding the microprocessor/ microcontroller core and many of their on-chip and off-chip peripheral functions
The study hardware is a static design with fixed features supporting the selected target processor with the facility to study and understand peripheral functions associated with that processor
TThhee MMaasstteerr MMiiccrrooccoonnttrroolllleerr aanndd UUsseerr IInntteerrffaaccee The rail-network hardware is controlled by the master microcontroller which controls the movement of the trains according to the settings in the stations and parking slots
Summary
In the Indian technical education, courses on embedded systems started in the early 1980s, studying the microprocessors 8085 and Z80, and slowly moved to cover microcontroller 8051 and its derivatives and proceeded to PIC, AVR and 68XX families and settled on ARM and Renesas parts in recent days. The hardware-focused software development and the limitations in creating uniquely different application scenarios make it difficult and time-consuming to acquire high-level, application-oriented, real-time programming skills in an embedded system environment. TThhee MMaasstteerr MMiiccrrooccoonnttrroolllleerr aanndd UUsseerr IInntteerrffaaccee The rail-network hardware is controlled by the master microcontroller which controls the movement of the trains according to the settings in the stations and parking slots. EEmmbbeeddddeedd PPrrooggrraamm DDeevveellooppmmeenntt ffoorr tthhee RRaaiill--NNeettwwoorrkk SSiimmuullaattoorr tssteohtervuaoleeettleprcnatTTumtTiti-nhhhtlhba-egeesaencisuchetguehotrsinsdwnaeemaeiresorllpss-sctrtncalatakfeahetnotxinteaaoriwdtutndsymeroteeveaorloavsenenkfcpelcdoohttlohomipiapnnnepuadogpestrpusrotkttoahrosnitgotlnehoyetrggh.amasrmettmUasaolamtrtsosureciuatossihsnialncpniyilonnoel.anayemnne,rtdcUrmrdtboiohvsedbptleudsaoeea.aldpdriltserknldhioydigceeng,nrdCgretaatarClfshamssoleieorfwnssottiarhspcaturoherrtehobnruaiegsitvpsmrtreaauoparplnlsmrselmtos.eirspiamgilmrcnliraeyaoainrctlcweertsoeoiondtwciuhtmoraitnottppshhltullreeeeotavrmilspneltienepocgrnrtrnce-ottaboaeoplnasdsrcestiforeaoioandntrlesthe number of trains and serves as a challenging exercise to sort out the logic and timing of the inputs and controls to avoid any collisions between the trains. Two such example programs are illustrated below. This makes it convenient for the train to stop at a station for any amount of time as required without considering the movement of other trains in the rail-network
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