An Undergraduate Embedded Systems Design Course Based on a Commercial Embedded Operating System Jim

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An Undergraduate Embedded Systems Design Course
Based on a Commercial Embedded Operating System
Jim Hamblen School of ECEGeorgia
Techhamblen_at_ece.gatech.eduWESE2007 October
4-5, 2007, Salzburg, Austria
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Embedded Systems Design Course
Course Background

• A jr. or sr. level undergraduate class
• Designed to fit into IEEE/ACM/ABET model
  curricula
• Versions exist for CS, EE, and CmpE majors
• Prior experience of students
• Basic Digital Logic class (gates and registers)
• Programming classes (some C, C, or Java likely)
• Only some have had a prior OS and Architecture
  class
• At Georgia Tech earlier classes cover
  microcontrollers FPGAs with processor cores
• At Georgia Tech, the course time is allocated to
  around 1/3 time each on hardware topics, software
  topics, and a final team-based design project

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Curriculum Outline

• Introduction to Embedded Systems
• Embedded Systems Hardware and Software
• Processors, Memory, Busses, I/O ports, Standard
  I/O interfaces and basics of I/O software,
  Interrupts, DMA, USB, Networking, eBox hardware
  overview
• RTOS Architecture Features
• OS Internal Architecture and Features, Basic APIs
• Building a customized Kernel
• Tutorials on OS build process, C/C and C
  development, and execution on eBox target
  hardware
• Application Development using an OS
• C/C, C Debug tools, common APIs, basic code
  examples
• I/O Device Driver Development
• Stream Drivers Serial port example driver code
  for eBox
• Advanced OS Topics
• BSP Development, SDK, Bootloader, Hardware Debug
  Tools, Testing, Safe Coding Rules, IP issues

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What kinds of embedded systems are currently
being designed?

• Most new designs are using 32-bit processors
• Most new designs with an OS use a commercial
  off-the-shelf OS
• Based on data from EETimes and Embedded Systems
  Design 2005-7 Annual Embedded Market Surveys
• Would like the course to reflect current/future
  industrial trends

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Major Goals Features of Laboratory Projects
Embedded Systems Design Course

• Hardware Use a low-cost SoC target board for
  laboratory projects eBox 2300
• Software Use a commercial Real-Time OS (RTOS)
  and C/C/C for applications Windows CE 6.0
• Target board priced near textbook cost, All
  software is free
• Make course materials labs available free to
  schools
• Textbook with tutorials (300 pages .pdf and
  .doc files)
• Instructor PowerPoint Slides (400)
• Example OS Builds and C/C/C Project Code

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Hardware SoC Development Board

• ICOP Technology eBox 2300 MSJK
• Hardware cost near student textbook cost (US
  145 each in qty 10 for schools with power
  supply, cables, and CE preinstalled on flash)
• No Cost Software VS 2005, CE 6.0, eBox I/O
  drivers in Board Support Package (BSP)

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View Inside the eBox 2300
Audio CODEC
128MB SDRAM
256MB FLASH
BIOS ROM
Ethernet Controller
Vortex86 SoC
PS/2, USB, VGA, serial, Network connectors
Bottom of PCB Mini PCI CF slot
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RTOS Windows Embedded CE 6.0

• Perhaps the most widely used commercial RTOS for
  embedded devices
• Core technology used in Windows Mobile SmartPhone
  and PocketPC devices and Windows Automotive
• Not a port of Desktop Windows - Designed from
  scratch for embedded devices
• Initial version of CE developed in mid 1990s
• Includes C/C/C compilers and debuggers
• C is very similar to Java
• Supports ARM, MIPS, SHx, and X86 processors
• MMU is used for Virtual Memory
• Considered a hard real-time OS

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Real-Time Performance of CE 6.0
Hard Real-Time
Soft Real-Time
Windows XP
Hard Real-Time
Windows CE
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1,000 µs
5,000 µs
10,000 µs
100 µs
Cycle Variation or Jitter (µs)
CE Real-Time Performance Measurements showing
Response Cycle Time. Soft and Hard Real-Time
categories are based on OMAC study and OS times
are without any third party real-time extensions
to the OS.
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CEs Platform builder and development tools run
in the Visual Studio 2005 IDE
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Students can have an eBox 2300 running their own
custom built CE 6.0 RTOS kernel and a hello
world application in under an hour following the
tutorials!
eBox 2300 running CE 6.0 RTOS
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Adding External I/O using USB

• Phidgets USB Devices ( www.phidgets.com )
• Supports Servos, Digital, Analog I/O
• Numerous plug-in sensor modules available
• Free Driver shared source code projects for CE
  6.0

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Several Phidgets mounted on a plastic case for
CE/eBox student lab projects. Includes an LCD,
LEDs, switches, ADC with 8 analog sensors, and 2
R/C servos on a pan tilt mount with an IR
distance sensor.
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Serial I/O options for eBox

• Cypress PSoC Evaluation Kit (CY3210)
• Mixed-Signal Microcontroller with digital and
  analog I/Os.
• Low Cost (35 academic pricing) but need to
  develop Firmware for serial commands
  (www.cypress.com/CUAP)
• Includes USB Programmer
• Serial Interface and Small Protoboard on PCB
• USB version available (60) but no CE drivers yet
• Free graphical software tool, C compiler, and
  assembler

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Student Design Projects using the eBox 2300 and
CE 6.0

• Examples of Several Team-Based Undergraduate
  Student Design Projects
• Projects completed during last 6 weeks of
  Embedded System Class at Georgia Tech
• With an RTOS available, most projects now include
  an interesting mix of multithreading, GUI, and
  networking features
• All student projects were successful!

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This project used an eBox, a Phidgets LCD,
and a Cypress PSoC board setup to receive TV IR
remote signals. It displays live RSS news feeds
on the LCD module.
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Students mounted an eBox on this R/C plane along
with a GPS receiver and a small battery. They
recorded flight data and displayed the data
using Google earth.
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Students used an eBox, this Cell Phone Modem,
and several Phidgets sensors to build a Remote
Weather Station. On request, it sends SMS text
messages that contain weather info.
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New Project Developments this Fall

• Free BSP for a new target board
• New low-cost robot base
• Drivers now available for a web camera

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USB WebCam

• USB webcam driver for Windows CE
• Supports Logitech QuickCam Pro 5000 (65)
• Free Driver source code shared project for CE
• (http//msdn.microsoft.com/embedded/community/comm
  unity/CommunityProjects/)

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Gumstix Connex Embedded Computer Board(size of a
stick of gum www.gumstix.com)Microprocessor
Marvel 400Mhz XscaleOS DrumStix community
project developing a BSP for Windows CEGreat
low-power CE target board for student projects.
New Target board BSP
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iCreate Robot Base for the eBox

• Low-cost robot base for projects (www.irobot.com
  )
• A roomba without the vacuum parts
• Used for a Sumobot contest at a recent
  professional conference (MEDC 2007)

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Imagine Cup Student Design Contest

• Embedded Development Invitational
• Teams of 2-4 students develop a project
• eBox hardware and CE 6.0 used in 2007 2008?
• Project reports from 2007 are available
  http//imaginecup.com/competition/Finalists.aspx
• Top 200 Student teams provided a design kit
• Next Finals in Paris in July
• More info at www.imaginecup.com

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Questions/Comments

• Textbook and Instructor Slides are available at
  
• http//www.academicresourcecenter.net/curriculum/
  
• search for Introduction to Embedded Systems