CprE288 Embedded Systems I

Course Overview

Professor: Dr. Diane Rover
Semester: Spring 2019
Tools Used: TM4C Microcontroller, iRobot Roomba, Code Composer Studio
Class Rating: 9/10. TA selection could be better. Eventually TA-ed this class myself the following semester with the aim of being a great instructor.
Class Difficulty (1-5): 3

Course Experience

I would consider this class the first “real” Computer Engineering class. Students will consult a datasheet for the first time to figure out how to enable specific bits within registers on the TM4C Microcontroller. The end goal is to control a board and eventually emulate a “Mars Rover” on a Roomba. Most students will get stuck on Lab 4 (setting up UART) as they are given nothing but the datasheet. Students who are able to decipher the datasheet early on will have a better time with future labs.
CprE288 will also be the first course in which they will have to deal with errata’s in the documentation. An example of this will be a manufacturing defect on the TM4C. There is an issue with the count-up timer on some chips. Counting will fail at FFFF_FFFF. Students will either have to change to a count down timer, or alternatively do some simple math to consider going up to only FFFF_FFFE.
At the end, the student will either love the class, or absolutely hate the class. Emotions will be high during the final project phase, as students will have to deal with the small nuances and real world errors of the sensors that they are using.