Suncam Continuing Education Author: Mark A. Strain, P.E.

Course Title Rating Hours Price

506-Microcontrollers: An Introduction

(5) 4 Reviews

4 $90.00

Course Objectives:

Course Description:

Microcontrollers and microprocessors whether seen or unnoticed are an integral part of everyday life. You quite possibly encounter hundreds everyday. Everyday items that you may or may not think of contain one or more of these tiny devices: your electric toothbrush, television, the remote control for your television, children’s toys, cell phones, and the dozen or so processors in your car for the engine electronic control system, GPS, radio system and electronic compass are a few examples.

The purpose of this course is to describe at a high level different microcontroller architectures and to discuss the components of the central processing unit and how the components interact. This course also describes the differences between a microcontroller and a microprocessor and discusses a microcontroller’s instruction set and presents a few examples. This course presents different peripherals, how they are used and how they interact with the central processor.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course the student will learn:

•   Three of the main processor architectures
•   The difference between the Harvard architecture and von Neumann architecture
•   The components of the central processing unit and how they interact
•   How binary numbers are manipulated mathematically within the arithmetic logic unit
•   The fetch-decode-execute cycle of the central processing unit
•   The difference between a microcontroller and a microprocessor
•   How a processor’s instruction set translates into machine code
•   When to use general purpose input/output
•   When to use a timer and real-time clock peripheral
•   The differences, advantages and disadvantages of three different communication interfaces: UART, SPI, and I2C

Intended Audience

This course is intended for all engineers.

Course Summary

Microcontrollers are specialized microprocessors. Three of the most popular processor architectures include the Harvard architecture where data memory and program memory are accessed separately, the von Neumann architecture where data memory and program memory are accessed from the same bus, and the modified Harvard architecture which is a combination of the previously mentioned two. The central processing unit (composed of the arithmetic logic unit, registers and the control unit) functions as the brains or core of the processor. The central processing unit processes machine code stored in memory to control all of its functions. The machine code is compiled or assembled from the processor’s instruction set which defines all of the operations of the microcontroller. To complement their functionality, microcontrollers include a suite of peripherals such as input/output pins, timers, a real-time clock and communications controllers.

507-Microcontrollers: Design and Implementation

(5) 1 Review

3 $67.50

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Course Objectives:

Course Description:

Microcontrollers are simply microprocessors that include program and data memory and peripherals such as general-purpose input/output ports, timers, serial communications controllers, analog-to-digital converter, etc.

The purpose of this course is to describe a portion of the architecture of a simple microcontroller (namely the Atmel ATtiny2313A microcontroller) and to provide simple examples written in the C programming language that use an LED and a pushbutton. The examples utilize the timer circuit and the port registers and incorporate a timer interrupt and an external interrupt.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course the student will learn:

•    the significance of a vector table
•    the function of an interrupt controller
•    how to use a timer interrupt
•    how to use an external interrupt for a pushbutton event
•    the difference between a timer overflow and a timer compare match
•    how to configure a port pin as either an input or an output

Intended Audience

This course is intended for all engineers.

Course Introduction

In my course entitled "Microcontrollers: an Introduction" I discussed the architecture of microcontrollers. I showed how the central processing unit fetches instructions (or a program) from memory and decomposes the instructions into components that the control unit and the arithmetic logic unit can use to perform the desired operation or function. Here I will discuss how to design a simple circuit incorporating a microcontroller with a small footprint, small pin count, and a small amount of internal memory (both program and data memory). I will give program examples using the C programming language.

Course Summary

The Atmel ATtiny2313A microcontroller used for these exercises is packaged in a 20-pin DIP package. It is small compared with other microprocessors available, but there are other smaller devices available. For example the Atmel ATtiny10 is packaged in a 6-pin SOT-23 package, making this device ideal for small projects such as an electronic candle to simulate the flicker of the flame or a child's shoe that has LEDs that light up when he or she walks.

Although the Atmel AVR series of microcontrollers is a great product offering many features with a powerful core, this course is not meant to be an advertisement for the Atmel AVR series of microcontrollers. There are many similar microcontrollers available on the market, such as the Microchip PIC, Texas Instruments MSP430, Intel 8051, STMicroelectronics STM8, Freescale 68HC11, and multiple versions of the ARM core from many vendors.

Microcontrollers today can be designed and programmed to control and monitor almost anything. They have become an integrated part of our society, industry and culture.

508-Moore's Law: Rise of the Machines

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2 $45.00

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Course Objectives:

Course Description:

Moore's Law is a term used to describe the increase in computing power over time. Moore's Law is the observation that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit (or microprocessor) doubles every two years. This course describes how Moore’s Law has proven true for the past fifty years and discusses how the computing industry will have one of two fates. Either the increase in computing power over time will eventually level off due to physical limitations or further advances in computing power will allow processing power to exponentially increase. Could this exponential increase in processing power eventually lead to a technological singularity?

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course the student will learn:

•    the definition of Moore's Law
•    how Moore's Law has affected the semiconductor industry
•    what visionaries say about the future of technology
•    the definition of a technological singularity

Intended Audience

This course is intended for all engineers.

Course Introduction

Advances in technology throughout human history have never been as evident as the advances in computer technology in the latter half of the twentieth century and the early part of the twenty-first century. Technological progress is no longer seemingly liner; it is clearly exponential. The trend in the increase in computational power is predicted by Moore's Law.

A transistor is a tiny semiconductor device used to switch electronic signals. A transistor is a simple digital switch. When used in a digital circuit the transistor is either on or off.

Logic gates build on the switching power of a transistor to make more complex building blocks. A logic gate is the fundamental building block for a digital integrated circuit, and the fundamental building block for a logic gate is the transistor. Logic gates include AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR. All of these logic gates can be built using only NAND gates. This simplifies and reduces the complexity of integrated circuits by only using one basic type of logic gate. NAND gates can be assembled to form flip flops (like the D flip flop); these flip flops are called registers and form the basis of microprocessor cores. The heart of a computer is a microprocessor, and microprocessors are built from logic gates and the basic building block of a logic gate is a transistor.

Course Summary

Moore's Law is a term used to describe the increase in computing power over time. Moore's Law was introduced in 1965 by Gordon Moore. Moore's Law is gauged by the maximum number of transistors on a microprocessor or memory chip at any given point in time. He stated that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit will double approximately every two years. Whether held up by the accuracy of Moore's visionary prediction or driven by industry’s thirst to keep up with the trend in technology, Moore's prediction has proven to be true for almost five decades.

This exponential computing trend has affected all avenues of life including (by not limited to) the following: personal computers, communications, transportation, navigation, agriculture, medical, world finance, education, and social media. Some industry experts believe Moore's Law will reach a fundamental limit within the next few decades, while others expect a revolution in the microprocessor technology to maintain the trend.

Many visionaries feel that we humans will soon reach a point in our existence that can be described as unpredictable and maybe even unsettling. This point in history (if the predictions are true) will be the result of an intelligence explosion caused by a technological singularity. A technological singularity is the point in human history where life or even existence after the event which is based on technological progress is unpredictable or incomprehensible.

These are only predictions though. The fact of the matter is this: we don't know. We don't know enough about consciousness to apply the concept to a machine (yet) if it is even possible...

509-State Machines

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2 $45.00

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Course Objectives:

Course Description:

An electronic lock, a vending machine, a subway turnstile, a control panel for a microwave oven, a spell checker, a text search application, and the core of a microprocessor all embody a common element. Their behavior can be modeled using a finite state machine. A state machine is a model used in a design to visualize the effects of a sequence of inputs on the state of the system and its output. The behavior of the system is predetermined from its design. A state machine is one of the most common building blocks of modern digital systems.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course the student will learn:
•    When to use a state machine in a design
•    The differences between a Mealy machine and a Moore machine
•    The different components of a state machine
•    The difference between a state diagram and a state table
•    The advantages and disadvantages of a state machine implemented in hardware
•    The advantages and disadvantages of a state machine implemented in software

Intended Audience

This course is intended for all engineers.

Course Summary

A state machine is a model used to describe the behavior of a real world system. State machines are used to solve a large number of problems. They are used to model the behavior of various types of devices such as electronic control devices, parsing of communications protocols and programs that perform text or pattern searches.

State machines may be described using a state diagram and a state table. A state diagram is composed of states, inputs, outputs and transitions between states. A state table describes a state machine with the present state and input on the left and the next state and output on the right.

State machines may be implemented using either a hardware architecture or a software architecture. The advantage of a hardware implementation is that it operates very fast, but it is difficult to modify and usually requires more circuit board space. The advantage of a software implementation is that it is easier to design and modify, but can be slower than the hardware equivalent.

510-Error Detection in Digital Systems

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2 $45.00

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Course Description:

Information theory is a branch of applied mathematics and electrical engineering involving the quantification of information. When Claude Shannon developed information theory in 1948, thus ushering in the information age, he introduced the concept of entropy to information. This entropy or shortage of information in a message is what gives rise to errors in the data. Most communication systems and data storage and processing systems are unreliable to some degree, which means that errors may be introduced in the communications channel or while retrieving data from a memory device. These errors must be controlled.

The purpose of this course is to describe four different error detection techniques and to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each. This course describes the parity check method as well as the checksum and cyclic redundancy check (CRC) methods. It describes hash functions and when they should be employed. This course also briefly discusses error correction techniques.

This course includes a multiple-choice quiz at the end, which is designed to enhance the understanding of the course materials.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course the student will learn:
•   Four different error detection techniques
•   How to compute odd parity and even parity for a sequence of bits
•   How to compute a checksum for a given block of data
•   How to compute a CRC for a given block of data
•   The benefits and drawbacks of a parity check, checksum and CRC
•   How a cryptographic hash function is used to ensure the integrity of a software program or electronic document

Intended Audience

This course is intended for all engineers.

Course Introduction

We are exposed to a lot of information every day, from viewing content on a website on the Internet to listening to a song on our smart phone. This information (or data) is constantly stored, transmitted and processed. It is important that the data is correct or relatively error-free. Some amount of error is acceptable, depending on the application. For example, a few bit errors in a music data file in an MP3 format are acceptable, but a few bit errors in the data being transferred to the flight controls of a rocket could be catastrophic.

Course Summary

The use of a parity check is perhaps the simplest form of error detection. With this technique a bit is inserted after a fixed number of bits to maintain either an odd number or an even number of bits. A checksum in which all of the bytes in a given block of data are XORed to produce a checksum value can be appended to a block of data before it is transmitted. When a block of data is received the checksum is recomputed and checked against the one just received with the block of data. Checksums (either ones that are XORed or a running sum) are weak compared to a CRC. A CRC is used in the same manner for error detection as a checksum, but are more robust because the value of the CRC depends on the order of the data.

513-DC Circuit Fundamentals

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5 $112.50

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Course Objectives:

Course Description:

All engineers need a “Back to the Basics!” course and that is exactly what this course provides. The purpose of this course is to utilize the laws associated with basic direct current (DC) theory to find resistances, currents, and voltages at any given point within a circuit. This course is suitable for all engineers of any discipline. It explains the fundamentals of DC circuit theory. Whether you are a civil or mechanical engineer and are interested in learning a little about circuit theory, or if you are an electrical or computer engineer and would like to brush up on the basics, then this course is appropriate for you.

Electric circuits range from very simple circuits containing one or more resistive components and a voltage source (such as a battery and a light bulb contained in a flashlight) to very elaborate, complicated circuits (such as the microprocessor circuit card inside your mobile phone). This course provides a basic introduction to DC resistive circuits and their purpose.

The course explains the fundamental relationship between voltage, current, and resistance, known as Ohm’s Law, in an electric circuit. It explains power dissipation in a resistive element, voltage and current dividers, series and parallel circuits, and different circuit analysis techniques.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course the student will learn:
•   The relationship between voltage, current, and resistance in an electric circuit
•   Different expressions for Ohm’s Law
•   How to compute the voltage drop across a resistor
•   How to compute the power dissipation of a resistor
•   How to determine the power rating of a resistor
•   How to compute an equivalent resistance for resistors in series
•   How to compute an equivalent resistance for resistors in parallel
•   How to use a voltage divider
•   How to use a current divider
•   How to compute the current in a series circuit
•   How to compute the voltage drop across a resistor
•   How to compute the currents in a parallel circuit
•   How to apply Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law in a circuit
•   How to apply Kirchhoff’s Current Law in a circuit
•   How to use mesh analysis to produce loop equations to analyze a circuit
•   How to use nodal analysis to produce node equations to analyze a circuit

519-Digital Design: Combinational Logic

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5 $112.50

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Course Objectives:

Course Description:

You will encounter digital circuits multiple times in any given day. Digital circuits have infiltrated society in ways unheard of only a few decades ago. They are everywhere and seem to be in everything. Without them we would have no microprocessors. Without microprocessors we would have no computers or smartphones or sophisticated fifth-generation fighter jets or even something as simple and convenient as a coffee maker that brews the coffee before we wake up that shuts off automatically when we forget to turn it off. Maybe we could still design a coffee maker with an analog clock with a mechanical switch that will shut off the hot plate when the clock advances forward past a mechanical set point, but the point is that these little devices (digital circuits) are commonplace and here to stay.

Digital circuits are comprised of tiny little on/off switches called transistors. The transistor is the building block of all digital circuits. This revolutionary little switching device was invented in 1947 and its creators were awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics a few years later, and rightly so. Only a few other inventions have impacted and affected our lives in so many ways.

Transistors can be organized into logic gates. The most basic gates are AND, OR and NOT. With these fundamental gates, all other gates can be built. Boolean algebra describes logic gates in symbolic form which gives a designer the ability to design a complicated logic circuit using math by forming equations. These equations are directly transformed into logic symbols and into a logic circuit. Connecting several logic gates together forms something called combinational logic. With this combinational logic, adders can be fabricated as well as encoders, decoders, multiplexers and demultiplexers. A multiplexer is a device that allows one input to be selected from several inputs. An arithmetic logic unit (ALU) is a multiplexer which is at the heart of a microprocessor's core.

This course is intended to be a review of the basics of digital logic starting with the binary numbering system, hexadecimal numbering system, logic gates, and logic circuits. This course will go over the basic logic gates, adders, decoders, encoders, multiplexers, and demultiplexers. This course has a lot of sample problems and teaches by showing examples.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course the student will learn:
•    how to convert a decimal number to a binary number (and vice versa)
•    how to convert a decimal number to a hexadecimal number (and vice versa)
•    how to represent a negative number in binary
•    how to simplify a Boolean expression using Boolean algebra theorems and laws
•    how to simplify a Boolean expression using Karnaugh maps
•    the difference between all of the basic logic gates
•    how basic logic gates can be implemented using transistors
•    how to create any logic gate using only NAND gates
•    how to implement an adder
•    how to implement a decoder
•    how to implement an encoder
•    how to implement a multiplexer
•    how to implement a demultiplexer

535-Vector Fundamentals

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2 $45.00

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Course Objectives:

Course Description:

Vector analysis is a mathematical tool used to explain and predict physical phenomena in the study of mechanics. A vector is a depiction or symbol showing movement or a force carried from point A to point B. A vector has properties of both magnitude and direction. A scalar only has the property of magnitude. A scalar is a quantity, like mass (14 kg), temperature (25°C), or electric field intensity (40 N/C) that only has magnitude and no direction. On the other hand, a vector has both magnitude and direction. Physical quantities that have magnitude and direction can be represented by the length and direction of an arrow.
Mechanics is the science of motion and the study of the action of forces on bodies. Mechanics is a physical science incorporating mathematical concepts directly applicable to many fields of engineering such as mechanical, civil, structural and electrical engineering. Vectors are tools used in the study of mechanics.
The purpose of this course is to describe vectors and to explain their use and to demonstrate their many applications. This course also describes several vector operations including the dot product and cross product.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course the student will learn:
•    How to apply the use of vectors to different fields of engineering
•    How to decompose a vector into its individual components
•    How to find the length of a vector
•    How to compute the dot product of a vector
•    How to compute the cross product of a vector
•    How to determine the angle between two vectors

553-Vector Mechanics: Statics

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4 $90.00

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Course Description:

Statics is the study of forces and moments on physical systems in static equilibrium. Unlike dynamics, where the components of the system are in motion, components of a system in static equilibrium do not move or vary in position relative to one another over time. This course is intended to be a refresher course for statics (vector mechanics). This course is intended for someone who has a general working knowledge of vectors. This course has a lot of sample problems and teaches by showing examples and sample problems.

Learning Objective

At the conclusion of this course the student will learn:
•    how to decompose a force into its vector components
•    how to determine the equilibrium of a particle
•    how to determine the equilibrium of a rigid body
•    how to determine the mechanical advantage of a pulley system
•    how bodies are subject to moments (or torque)
•    how to reduce a force couple to a moment
•    how to reduce a system to a force and a moment
•    how to determine if a truss is stable
•    how to determine the axial forces within a truss by the method of joints
•    how to determine the axial forces within a truss by the method of sections
•    how to calculate the force of friction between a body and a surface
•    how the determine the equilibrium of a body when the force of friction acts on the body

Intended Audience

This course is intended for all engineers.

Course Introduction

Mechanics is the branch of science concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the effects of the bodies on their environment. Mechanics is a physical science incorporating mathematical concepts directly applicable to many fields of engineering such as mechanical, civil, structural and electrical engineering.
Vector analysis is a mathematical tool used in mechanics to explain and predict physical phenomena. The word “vector” comes from the Latin word vectus (or vehere – meaning to carry). A vector is a depiction or symbol showing movement or a force carried from point A to point B.
Statics (or vector mechanics) is the branch of mechanics that is concerned with the analysis of loads (or forces and moments) on physical systems in static equilibrium. Systems that are in static equilibrium are either at rest or the system's center of mass moves at a constant velocity. Problems involving statics use trigonometry to find a solution.
Newton's First Law states that an object at rest tends to stay at rest or an object in motion tends to stay in motion at a constant velocity, unless acted upon by an external force. In the area of statics Newton's First Law dictates that the sum of all forces, or net force, and net moment on every part of the system are both zero.
The term "static" means still or unchanging. In relation to vector mechanics the terms "still" or "unchanging" pertain to the system under evaluation. The system may be at rest or may be moving at a constant velocity, but all of the components of the system are still or in equilibrium with each other. However, there are forces within the system usually acted upon by gravity, but all of the forces are balanced.

Course Summary
Statics is the study of forces and moments on physical systems in static equilibrium. Unlike dynamics, where the components of the system are in motion, components of a system in static equilibrium do not move or vary in position relative to one another over time. Statics is concerned with physical systems in equilibrium and the conditions that require equilibrium given the forces and moments that are acting on the components of the systems. These physical systems can include but are not limited to trusses, beams, pulleys and systems that use support cables.

603-Microcontrollers: the Arithmetic Logic Unit

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4 $90.00

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Course Description:

The arithmetic logic unit (ALU) is the central core of a central processing unit (CPU). The ALU is simply a digital circuit that performs arithmetic and logical operations on binary numbers. They are combinational logic circuits which means that their outputs change asynchronously in response to changes to their inputs. ALU circuits perform operations on integer binary numbers. All microcontrollers contain an arithmetic logic unit (ALU). It is a fundamental building block of the CPU.

An ALU has two integer inputs called operands and another input called an opcode. The opcode instructs the ALU which instruction to perform (like addition, subtraction, decrement, increment, AND, OR, NOT, XOR, etc.). The opcode code is a binary code that comes from the instruction set (or program) that is being executed. The instructions or program will contain both the operands or numbers to be used and the opcode that tells the ALU what to do with the numbers, eg. add the numbers. These instructions are usually written in a higher level programming language and are stored in the computer's main memory. A compiler will compile the higher level language program and convert it to machine code. The computer executes one instruction at a time.

This course focuses on the ALU. This course explains how arithmetic and logical operations are performed within a CPU. This course explains how the instruction from the machine code from a compiled computer program gets translated into useful code for the ALU to determine which operation to perform and where the data is coming from.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this course the student will learn:
•    how an ALU selects its different functions
•    how ALUs were designed in early computers
•    how an ALU uses its operands
•    how an ALU uses its opcode
•    how an ALU performs subtraction
•    how a full adder works with carry in and carry out
•    the difference between a half adder and a full adder
•    the logic diagram of a full adder
•    how to describe an ALUs operations with a truth table
•    how an instruction set is converted into machine code
•    how machine code is decomposed into an opcode that configures the ALU for a particular operation
•    how an ALU is integrated into a CPU
•    how the fetch-decode-execute cycle works in a CPU
•    the significance of the 74181 ALU in early computers
•    how many arithmetic and logic operations that a 74181 ALU can perform
•    the schematic and truth table of the 74181 ALU