Design and Development of a Project-Based Embedded System Laboratory Using LPC1768

Abstract

In this paper, we propose project-based experiments useful in setting up an embedded system design laboratory. It is an outcome of the author’s experience in teaching computer architecture and embedded systems in theory. The experiments and projects described herein are useful for the students to learn the building blocks of embedded system and can be implemented as one third semester laboratory course. Further, they are built around ARM based RISC processor- LPC1768 architecture, which supports modular programming. The components including the microcontroller with programmer are inexpensive. It gives a hands-on experience to the undergraduate student of Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) and Computer Science Engineering (CSE), or Post-Graduate students with electronics major. The salient feature of this module is that each experiment is explained by its hardware description, software algorithm which includes dumping the hex file of the program on to the microcontroller’s flash memory. Our experience with the conduct of a 120 min-end of semester practical examination show that, with the chronological increase in hardware design, the students exhibited the confidence in designing new stand-alone systems with fairly complicated hardware and software. Setting up a training laboratory of this type is easy with the material described in this paper.