UNC- Charlotte ECGR 4101/5101

Embedded Systems-Fall 2005

Lecture, 10:00-10:50 AM, MWF, Woodward Hall 140

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Announcements

This page updated

December 15, 2005


 
 
Week of Monday, December 12, 2005
  • The final exam text says: You are permitted 180 minutes to take this test, no more. This is an open book/open notes test. You are allowed the following items for the test: calculators, books, notes, homework, labs, pencils and erasers. You are not permitted to have any of the following on your desk during the test: computer, or other electronic assistance. Failure to abide by this policy will result in a zero for the test and a visit to the UNCC ethics board. Put your answers on this paper. Use only this paper.
  • Sami will have office hours on Wednesday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
  • Grad students, get a publication!  Submit your report to me in IEEE two column format (see http://www.coe.uncc.edu/~jmconrad/ResearchProjects.html, the middle of the page).
  
Week of Monday, December 5, 2005
  • No new announcements yet.
 
Week of Monday, November 28, 2005
  • From Microsoft: 
    I am pleased to announce the 2006 Windows ChallengE Competition. The Registration Deadline is January 22, 2006. This event is an opportunity to integrate a real-world challenge into your students’ curriculum. All you have to do is invite your students to register on the competition and mentor them as they develop computer-based solutions for a real-world problem.  Your role as a mentor would be to monitor your student team and guide them through this exciting, real-world contest as they compete for up to $8,000 in cash prizes and the chance to present their project at the Microsoft Campus in Redmond, Washington. In addition, your team may also be selected to participate in the IEEE Computer Society International Design Competition (CSIDC) finals in Washington, D.C. and compete for additional cash prices.
  • Last extra credit opportunity:  IEEE meeting on Wednesday, 11/30.  RSVP to sb.uncc@ieee.org
 
Week of Monday, November 21, 2005
  • Parts are now in for Grad projects and Lab 8. I will hand them out Monday, 11/28.
  • No class 11/23 and 11/25 due to the University holiday.
  • All homework solutions are posted (except, of course, homework 11 and 12).
  • The Final Exam is 12/16/05, 8 am in Woodward 140.
  • Grad Students, the final project deadline has been extended to December 16, 2005, at 5:00 p.m.
  • Homework 12 is due at class time Wednesday, December 7, 2005.
  • Homework 11 is due at class time Wednesday, November 30, 2005.
  • Lab assignment 8 is due at 2:30 on Monday, December 5, 2005.   (Version 1.1 posted 11/21/05)
 
Week of Monday, November 14, 2005
 
Week of Monday, November 7, 2005
  • See the announcements page for extra credit opportunities.  If you plan to have free pizza during the 11/10, 6:00 pm talk, RSVP to barbaraburkholder@yahoo.com
  • I will have more breadboards.
  • Lab assignment 7 is due at 2:30 on Monday, November 16, 2005.
  • Homework 9 is due at class time Friday, November 11, 2005.  If you turn it in on Nov. 9, it will be returned on Nov. 11.
 
Week of Monday, October 31, 2005
  • I have the remaining four class boards - purchase them in class.
  • I will have more breadboards, hopefully Monday.
  • Lab assignment 6 is due at 2:30 on Monday, November 7, 2005.
  • Homework 8 is due at class time Monday, November 7, 2005.
  • Extra credit opportunities:
    • November 10 SPIN Meeting, 6-8:30 p.m., CARC101
    • November 11 High School Student Tour, 11:00 - 11:30 a.m., (work on your homework and projects in SciTech 203)
    • November 16 SciTech Building dedication, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. (work on your homework and projects in SciTech 203).
Week of Monday, October 24, 2005
  • Lab assignment 5 is due at 2:30 on Friday, October 28, 2005.  (new date)
  • Homework 7 is due Monday, October 31, 2005.
  • I hope to have the remaining boards in hand on Wednesday 11/2 (they shipped 10/25).
  • Extra credit opportunities:
    • October 26 IEEE meeting - 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., CARC101
    • November 10 SPIN Meeting, 6-8:30 p.m., CARC101
    • November 11 High School Student Tour, 11:00 - 11:30 a.m., (work on your homework and projects in SciTech 203)
    • November 16 SciTech Building dedication, 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. (work on your homework and projects in SciTech 203).
 
Week of Monday October 17, 2005
  • There is no class on Friday, 10/21.  Spend the time to work on the lab and attend the College of Engineering Picnic (starts at 11:00).
  • I hope to have the remaining boards in hand on Monday.
  • The solution for the exam is posted on the Exams page.
  • Homework 6 is due Monday, October 24, 2005.  (new date)
  • Lab assignment 5 is due at 2:30 on Wednesday, October 26, 2005.  (new date)
 
Week of Monday October 10, 2005
  • Amaan is looking to work with a group for the project.  His email is aqmohamm@uncc.edu.
  • The solution for the exam will be posted soon.
  • There are six people without boards.  The remaining boards will be in on Monday (new and repaired).
  • Homework 6 is due Wednesday, October 19, 2005. 
  • Lab assignment 5 is due at 2:30 on Monday, October 24, 2005.
 
Week of Monday October 3, 2005
  • Class on 10/14 will be a Lecture by Dr. Olaf Storaasli from the Future Computing Group at ORNL. A quiz will be given at the end of the talk.  Abstract:
     
    Computing Faster without CPUs - Engineering Applications on NASA's FPGA-based Hypercomputers
     
    *Abstract:*   from Manchester UK talk:
    The purpose of this presentation is to describe how NASA Langley's reconfigurable Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA)-based hypercomputer research is addressing the solution of comprehensive engineering and scientific calculations. Two approaches are used to exploit Langley's Star Bridge Hypercomputer Systems for analysis calculations:
              1. Develop Hypercomputer analyses codes in VIVA (fully exploits parallelism)
              2. Use Hyercomputer to accelerate time-consuming (bottleneck) calculations
          Since NASA C++/FORTRAN legacy codes do not exploit all of the FPGA parallelism possible (hundreds of operations/cycle, the algorithms were entirely written in the VIVA language using the first approach. However, the second approach was used for a large legacy code where over 95% of the finite element equation solution computations are concentrated in a two-page FORTRAN kernel. This matrix-factor kernel was replaced by VIVA "gateware" to exploit FPGA parallelism. This VIVA kernel development involves researchers at Alpha-Star Corporation (GENOA structures code, Starbridge Systems (VIVA developers), and NASA (developed GPS Solver used in GENOA).
          NASA FPGA-based research initially focused on rapid structural analysis, but has now been extended to include linear algebra, matrix equation solution and integration (Runge-Kutta for fluid dynamics and Newmark-Beta for finite element structural mechanics). This research has led to NASA's new $15M, 4-year Reconfigurable Scalable Computer(RSC) project for Space applications which will be briefly described.
     
  • Sami will be available from 10 am to 3 pm on Thursday for assisting and checking your lab.
 
Week of Monday September 26, 2005
  • Lab 4 was supposed to be out of 20 points, not 30.  A grade of 30 on your paper is entered as 20 in my spreadsheet.
  • Extra credit opportunity:  IEEE Meeting on September 29, 2005, 12:30 - 1:30 p.m., Cameron 101.  Speakers:  Keith Surgeoner (he has several intern opportunities available now!), Dr. Nasipuri, and Dr. Joshi.  RSVP to Cressel Anderson at:  cdanders@uncc.edu
  • Homework 5 is due Friday, October 7, 2005.
  • Lab assignment 4 is due at 2:30 on Friday, October 7, 2005.
  • Homework 4 is due Monday, October 3, 2005.
  • The midterm exam is Wednesday, October 12.
  • Graduate students: your one page write-up of your class project is due October 7.
  • You should now have card access to SciTech 203 and the building.  Please check your student card in the reader as soon as possible - if it does not work, see Mr. Hege in the office across from the lab.  Please note:  the door must be closed to correctly test the reader.
 
Week of Monday September 19, 2005
  • You should now have card access to SciTech 203 and the building.  Please check your student card in the reader as soon as possible and send me an email if it does not work.  Please note:  the door must be closed to correctly test the reader.
  • Our TA has additional office hours - Monday 9-10 a.m.
  • The Agilent 6000 Series Oscilloscopes User's Guide is available online
  
Week of Monday September 12, 2005
  • Dr. Conrad will have a research meeting on Friday, September 16, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. in Sci Tech 244.  All students are welcome to attend and see what his students are doing for research projects.
  • From an IEEE article:  Embedded Systems Engineers Have New Online Community The power of 500 minds thinking simultaneously. That is how IEEE Senior Member Charles Lord regards the IEEE Embedded Systems Virtual Community to which he belongs. And Lord's community is truly a virtual society. Other IEEE groups have virtual communities -- that is, they communicate via the Internet -- but their members also have ways of meeting physically. Not Lord's group. His group's meetings are virtual or not at all.
  • Lab assignment 3 is due at 2:30 on Monday, September 26, 2005.
  • Homework 3 is available soon, and due Wednesday, September 21, 2005.
 
Week of Monday September 5, 2005
  • There are two opportunities for extra credit tomorrow:

    The IEEE Student Chapter will meet in CARC 101 Thursday from 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. Pizza will be served - it is free for IEEE members (bring your membership card) and $2 for others. There will be presentations on the ECE department and by the two new faculty members in the department. If you plan to attend this talk, RSVP to sb.uncc@ieee.com

    A professional organization will meet tomorrow evening in CARC
    101 Thursday from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Pizza will be served - it is
    $2 for students. The title of the talk is "The Conscious Competence Learning Model", and will discuss how we learn (useful for students, believe me!). If you plan to attend this talk, RSVP to barbaraburkholder@yahoo.com
  • Lab assignment 2 is due at 2:30 on Wednesday, September 14, 2005.
  • Homework 2 is available soon, and due Monday, September 12, 2005.
  
Week of Monday August 29, 2005
  • Notes 1 and 2 have been updated.
  • Lab assignment 1 is due at the beginning of class, September 2, 2005.  The web link has been fixed.
  • Homework 2 is available soon, and due Friday, September 9, 2005.
  • The Contact info for the TA, Sami Lasassmeh, has been posted on the main web page.
 
Week of Monday August 22, 2005
  • Welcome to ECE 4101/5101!  The first day of class is Monday, August 22.
  • This class will be based heavily on the web pages.  For example:
  • Homework 1 is available, and due Friday, August 26, 2005.  It's simple - just based on the syllabus, class discussions, and the first book chapter.
  • Due to the university holiday, there is no class on Monday, September 5.
  • The lab assignments will use the Renesas SKP16C62P Evaluation Board.  Each student be required to purchase one.  You are free to go out and buy your own, but I took advantage of a sale a distributor was having and I purchased 40 kits for 1/2 price in July.  You can buy a kit from me for $28  cash or check (includes the shipping and tax I was charged).  If you use PayPal (jconrad@stiquito.com), it will be $29.
  • News flash:  My boards are gone.  If you want me to get one for you (instead of you getting it yourself), see me after class on Wednesday.  If we have enough people interested, I will make another order.