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ECE395

ECE395 (Advanced Digital Projects Lab) is a 2/3-credit-hour course that satisfies the Technical Elective requirement for ECE students and satisfies a hardware lab for EEs. It is offered in both the fall and spring semesters.

Content Covered

  • A introduction to microcontrollers in a real project.
  • Propose and implement a small project that uses microcontrollers, in an open-ended way
  • Also has basic PCB design elements, where most projects involved some level of PCB board design.

This is a class where you get to make anything you want... within reason. Keep in mind that you have to use a micro-controller/FPGA/Computer because it is a Digital Systems Lab, but let your imagination run wild.

The course is a hands on project-based class that aims to teach what goes into a simpler microcontroller project. It starts with how microcontrollers are used in a real world setting, as well as requiring students to make their own creative projects. Projects also involve physical board design using software such as KiCad, which teaches students how to actually use a processor in a real project, and teaches how the software on a microcontroller interacts with physical realm.

These are some projects people have done in the past:

  • Automatic Foosball Table (You can play foosball against a computer)
  • Hydraulic Hexapod (six legged robot)
  • Graphics Cards (from scratch)
  • Tesla Coils
  • IPad-Controlled Power Wheels (The small electric cars that toddlers can drive)
  • Robots of all kinds (Arms, Hands, Battle bots, etc)

Prerequisites

ECE385 is officially the only prerequisite, but many students motivated to pursue their own projects take ECE395 without credit in ECE385. The professor also expressed a desire to remove ECE385 as a requirement.

When to Take It

Most students take this as a junior or senior. Exceptional sophomores can do well in this class too. Students who are fast and self sustaining learners, have experience with embedded systems (other than Arduinos), and have a good network of contacts that have knowledge in other fields, may be able to be successful in this class before taking ECE385.

Course Structure

The workload varies, depending on what you choose to make. This is one of the most open classes in the entire college. You basically need to spend enough time to get things done. The main portion of the grade is attendance, and you need to log 6-10 hours in the lab per week for full credit.

Instructors

This class has traditionally been taught by Professor Haken, who is known for his invention of the Continuum Fingerboard. His research is in computer music, so he is really great at embedded systems, DSP, programming and more! However, in more recent semesters, the class is now taught by Professor Casey Smith. His office hours are flexible.

Course Tips

Put time in early in the semester as later it becomes much more difficult to do a lot given finals / other projects.

Life After

This class prepares you for actual work and ECE445 (senior design). You get to work on a long term project with a deadline and you need to do whatever you can to meet that deadline and finish this. It teaches industry tools and actually forces students to make something that functions to a degree, rather than simply living in a testing environment.