1

Digital technology roadmap

Digital Circuits & Systems

Chapter 1: Combinational

circuits

The theory basics and the classic 74 series / CMOS (SSI

& MSI) Chapter 2: FSM

Chapter 3: Dedicated processors

Advanced optional subjects or research

Chapter 4: Microcontrollers

(µC)

Systems on Programmable

Chip (SoPC)

Systems on Chip (SoC) &

ASICS(GA)

The versatile GAL22V10

(500 logic gates)

Altera/Lattice/Xilinx CPLD and FPGA

(2,5k – 100k logic gates)

Large Altera/Lattice/Xilinx

FPGA

(>100k logic gates)

PIC16/18 family

of microcontrollers

Introductory circuits & FSM

Application specific digital systems

(Datapath + control unit)

Digital processors and subsystems (peripherals)

Large volume of production

Professional applications in

Telecommunications Systems and Telematics

Schematics

&

VHDL

VHDL & C

Vend

or s

peci

fic d

esig

n flo

w to

ols

(MPLA

B, ass

embl

er, C

, sim

ulat

ion

Prote

us-V

SM)

Elec

tric

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nd d

igita

l

sim

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ion

& v

erifi

catio

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educ

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nal b

oard

sA

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DL

/ Mod

elSi

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Qua

rtus

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ispL

EVER

/ IS

E

2

Digital systems and VHDL

Digital systems and VHDL

MicrocontrollersMicrocontrollers

CAD/EDA, laboratory

software and tools

CSD competencies

EnglishEnglish

Oral and written communication

Oral and written communication

Team workTeam work

Self-directed learning

Self-directed learning

Report edition, presentation and

publishing

ePortfolio edition

Project management

3

CSD systematic instructional design

Learning objectives and cross-curricular

skills

Activities and study time scheduling

After completing the course students have

to be able to …

Active methodologies

Continuous formative and summative

assessment

Course evaluation Coherence and

consistency

In and out of class timetable, problem-based learning, application project

Cooperative Learning, integrated learning of content and competencies,Learning by doing

Individual and group assessing, every work sample counts and can be improved, group e-portfolio

Student questionnaires, and instructors processing

Repeated every term

Method for solving assignments

No need of traditional exams

4

Learning objectives

Chapter 1

Combinational circuits

Chapter 1

Combinational circuits

Chapter 2

Finite state machines

Chapter 2

Finite state machines

Chapter 3

Digital processor

Chapter 3

Digital processor

Chapter 4

Microcontrollers

Chapter 4

Microcontrollers

#6, #7, #8, #10

Cross-curricular objectives: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5

#9, #10, #11

#10, #12

#13, #14, #15

http://epsc.upc.edu/projectes/ed/CSD/index_CSD.html

5

Chapter 1

Combinational circuits

(34.5 h) – 1.38 ECTS

Chapter 1

Combinational circuits

(34.5 h) – 1.38 ECTS

• Proteus-ISIS (Labcenter)

• Minilog

• WolframAlpha

• IC prog

• VHDL

• ispLEVER Classic (Lattice Semiconductor)

• ModelSim (Mentor

Graphics), Active HDL (Aldec)

• Synplicity Synplify synthesis (Synopsys)

CSD specific contentChapter 2

Finite state machines

(FSM)

(23h) – 0.92 ECTS

Chapter 2

Finite state machines

(FSM)

(23h) – 0.92 ECTS

Chapter 3

Digital processor

(OU + CU)

(23h) – 0.92 ECTS

Chapter 3

Digital processor

(OU + CU)

(23h) – 0.92 ECTS

Chapter 4

Microcontrollers

(C)

(69h) – 2.78 ECTS

Chapter 4

Microcontrollers

(C)

(69h) – 2.78 ECTS

• Quartus II (Altera)

• ispLEVER Starter (Lattice Semiconductor)

• ISE (Xilinx)

• Proteus-VSM (Labcenter)

• MPLAB (Microchip)

• HI-TECH C Compiler for PIC10/12/16 MCUs (Lite mode) (Microchip)

• Classic IC’s

• sPLD GAL22V10

• Programmable logic devices (CPLD and FPGA) from Altera, Lattice, Xilinx

• Training boards (UP2, DE2, Spartan 3AN Starter Kit, MachXO USB Starter Kit, etc.

• PIC 16F family of microcontrollers

• Training boards PICDEM2+, etc.

6

Oral and written communication

Oral and written communication

• Microsoft Office

• Visio

• Thunderbird

• CMapTools

• Gantt diagrams

• Google docs

CSD generic tools

EnglishEnglish Self-directed learning

Self-directed learning

Team workTeam work

• Proofing tools

• Web editing tools

• Google sites

• Google translate

• Etc.

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Planning activities and study time inside and outside the classroom

(ECTS)Activities(~problem solving)

A PBL and CL course means training students for master degrees

ExercisesExercises

Application project

Application project

Individual assessment

Individual assessment

ePortfolioePortfolio

Weekly study planWeekly study plan

Problem solving teamwork session

(2 h)

Problem solving teamwork session

(2 h)

Guided academic activities (1 h)

Guided academic activities (1 h)

Student-conducted teamwork sessions

(>6h)

Student-conducted teamwork sessions

(>6h)

Extra individual workExtra individual work

Gu

ided

learnin

g

Gu

ided

learnin

g

11.5 h per

week

11.5 h per

week

6 ECTS 6 ECTS

Problem solving teamwork session at

laboratory (2 h)

Problem solving teamwork session at

laboratory (2 h)

Self-d

irected

learnin

gS

elf-directed

learn

ing

8

Activities Design of real world applications

Designed using PLD/VHDL

Designed using microcontrollers

9EX : exercise/problem C : correction IM: improvement AP: project PO: portfolio

Course timetable

W1 W2 W3 W4 W5 W6 W7 W8 W9 W10 W11 W12 W13 W14 W15 W16 W17 W18 W19 W20

9/9-10 9/14-18 10/26-30 11/2-6 11/9-13 12/14-18 12/21-22 1/11-15 1/18-25

INTRO

EX1 C1 IM1 EX5 C5 IM5

EX2 C2 IM2 IM2 EX6 C6 IM6

EX3 C3 IM3

EX4 IM4

AP AP-PPO

MI-1 MI-2 MI-3 MI-4 MI-5

Send any comments to: francesc.josep.sanchez@upc.edu, jordana@eel.upc.edu

Chapter 4: MicrocontrollersChapter 1: Combinational circuits

(81 hours of study time) 69 hours of study time)

ELECTRONICS I (E1) - 10-11 Q1 Weekly agenda of activities (main details)

Extra m

inimum

s' exam (1-3)

Extra m

inimum

s' exam (1 - 5)

Christm

as

New

Year

Chapter 2: FSMChapter 3: Digital processor

10

Cooperative Learning as the instructional method

• Positive interdependenceTeam members are obliged to rely on one another to achieve their common goal

• Individual accountabilityAll students in a group are held accountable for doing their share of the work and for mastery of all of the content to be learned

• Face-to-face promotive interactionGroup members providing one another with feedback, challenging one another’s conclusions and reasoning, and teaching and encouraging one another

• Appropriate use of collaborative skills Students are encouraged and helped to develop and practice skills in communication, leadership, decision-making, conflict management, and other aspects of effective teamwork

• Regular self-assessment of group functioningTeam members periodically assess what they are doing well as a team and what they need to work on for functioning more effectively in the future

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A typical 2-hour group work sessions

Questions from previous sessions or exercises

Introduction of new concepts or materials (generally, the problem to be designed)

Group work for revising concepts and planning exercises

Questions, discussion and general orientations

Group work for developing exercises

Conclusions and planning the autonomous session outside the classroom

Up to 15 minutes

Up to 15 minutes

30 minutes

Up to 15 minutes

30 minutes

15 minutes

12

Assessment is not a mechanism for verifying student knowledge, but an stimulus to guarantee that (motivated) students will do the group tasks which lead them to learn the content and skills

Student assessment

Every piece of work counts for the final grade

• Final exams are no longer needed

Assessment is another learning activity integrated in the course dynamics ePortfolio

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Assessment scheme

%AP%PO%AP%MI%EXQ 10&15202530

Exercises

+Individual controls

+ Application Project

+e-Portfolio

+

Participation and attitude

6 deliverables with voluntary improvement

5 individual unannounced

exams

Includes an oral presentation and a written report

Very important: rubrics for correcting and fast feedback

Examples to demonstrate cross-

curricular skills development and

reflection

Students have to pass all the 5 minimums in order to pass the course

14An excellent way for showing evidences of what have been learned

Semi-structured group portfolio organised according the subject’s cross-curricular skills

Cooperative group ePortfolio

Table of contents

1. Course, purpose, audience and structure 2. A list of hardware/software tools 3. Work samples and reflection for the cross-curricular skills 1. 3rd language (English) 1. An active reading of a paper or a book unit 2. A written assignment in English 3. Exam solution 2. Team work 1. Learning an electronic design automation (EDA) tool in group 2. An example of a group assignment 3. Oral and written communication 1. A concept prepared to learn the design flow for a digital circuit 2. A peer-reviewed written assignment 3. An oral presentation in class 4. Self-directed learning 1. Example of a project organisation and development 2. Example of a unit or lesson studied autonomously 4. General reflection and conclusions

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Course evaluation and processing

Learning objectives and cross-curricular

skills

Activities and study time scheduling

Active methodologies

Continuous formative and summative

assessment

Course evaluation Coherence and

consistencyStudent questionnaires, and instructors processing

This quality cycle has to be repeated every term

The aim is to prepare a plan with specific actions to improve teaching in upcoming courses (problems redesigning, timetable scheduling, workload, teaching materials, new software, demonstration exercises, etc.)

CSD WEB page