ECEA 5375 Microcontrollers: Basic Architecture and Design

1st course in the M小黄书 Architecture, Design Optimization and AI at the Edge Specialization

Instructor: Steve Sheafor

This course introduces students to the architecture and design of Microcontrollers (M小黄书s), which are small processors used in a myriad of products. The main M小黄书 components of the processor, memory, I/O interfaces and their interconnections will be examined, with a focus on the processor. The process of optimizing performance, energy usage and cost will be explored in a project where students will begin the development of an M小黄书 in a system context.

The course will go beyond basic architecture and design to explore real-world details involved in the design of actual hardware products. Although focused on M小黄书s, many of these topics are relevant to the architecture and design of all types of advance digital components.

Learning Outcomes

Analyze the key factors used to evaluate and compare M小黄书s.
Describe an M小黄书 product family and its applications.
Describe M小黄书s and their relationship to other processor types.
Assess the performance impact of M小黄书 bus functions.
Identify the busses used in M小黄书s.
Describe the functions of basic M小黄书 components.
Describe how clocks affect the power and energy of an M小黄书.
Explain the mechanisms for tuning internal M小黄书 voltages for optimization.
Describe various methods for controlling M小黄书 power usage.
Analyze the basic system components available in the ARMv7 architecture.
Describe how the ARM processor families are organized.
Compare the available M小黄书 processors.
Examine methods for efficiently designing M小黄书s using configuration.
Define several key ARMv8 Extensions.
Implement the M小黄书 Design Course submission process.
Optimize the Peripheral Interface modules to minimize M小黄书 area.
Optimize the Peripheral Device connections to an M小黄书 to minimize M小黄书 area.
Optimize the voltage and frequency of an M小黄书 to minimize execution time and energy.
Assign sleep states in order to optimize power/energy and performance.
Configure Peripheral Interfaces in order to facilitate reuse and optimize area.
Add power control to Peripheral Interfaces in order to optimize area and power/energy.

Syllabus

Week 1 | M小黄书 Background and Analysis

Duration: 5听hours

In this module we will discuss Microcontrollers (M小黄书s), their relationship to other processor types, their usage applications and how to evaluate them. 听

Week 2 | M小黄书 Components

Duration: 3听hours

In this module we will explore the basic M小黄书 components, their functions and the busses used to connect them to each other. 听

Week 3 | M小黄书 Power Control and Timing

Duration: 9.5听hours

In this module we will explore various methods for managing M小黄书 power usage, including the clock system.听

Week 4 | M小黄书 Processors

Duration: 3听hours

In this module we will identify the alternatives for M小黄书 processors and look closely at the processors from ARM.

Week 5 | M小黄书 Processor Details

Duration: 8.5 hour

In this module we will examine several additional functions created in the newer ARMv8 architecture and explain how M小黄书s are designed efficiently using configuration.

Week 6 | Final Exam

Duration: 2听hours

This module contains materials for the proctored final exam for MS-ECE degree students. If you've upgraded to the for-credit version of this course, please make sure you review the additional for-credit materials in the Introductory module and anywhere else they may be found.听

To learn about ProctorU's exam proctoring, system test links, and privacy policy, visit听www.colorado.edu/ecee/online-masters/current-students/proctoru.

Grading

Assignment	Percentage of Grade
5 Graded Assignments (Quizzes)	10% (2% each)
Programming Assignment: M小黄书 Design Project Stage 0	5%
2 Programming Assignments	60% (30% each)
Final Exam	25%

Letter Grade Rubric

Letter Grade听	Minimum Percentage
A	93%
A-	90%
B+	87%
B	83%
B-	80%
C+	77%
C	73%
C-	70%
D+	67%
D	60%
F	0%

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