Course Details in 2025/26 Session


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Module Title Small Embedded Systems
SchoolSchool of Engineering
Department Elec, Elec & Sys Engineering
Module Code 04 21479
Module Lead Steven Quigley
Level Masters Level
Credits 20
Semester Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions Previous experience of procedural programming in C is essential
Contact Hours Lecture-7 hours
Practical Classes and workshops-15 hours
Guided independent study-178 hours
Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description The aims of this course are to:

Introduce the theory and practical skills relating to embedded systems design construction for industrial applications, including real time control and embedded networking.

Introduce students to a range of embedded systems application domains.

Review basic concepts in digital and analogue circuit design and C programming as required by different microcontrollers and microprocessors.

Introduce students to the key design criteria and programming design tools useful to embedded systems design through a selection of devices (e.g., PIC micro-controllers, Arduino, Rapsberry Pi).

Make students aware of an array of communications buses and peripheral devices that can be used as part of an embedded system.

Introduce students to key ideas of real time and distributed embedded systems and their implementation.

Introduce students to the key ideas of safety and reliability estimation and enhancement.
Learning Outcomes By the end of the module students should be able to:
  • ꮧDesign and construct small embedded systems.
  • Design small embedded systems in industrial applications.
  • Design embedded systems that use standard communication buses to interface to peripheral devices.
  • Design embedded systems that communicate over the Internet and interface to cloud-based Internet of Things services
  • Perform calculations on safety and reliability, and use these to show the quantitative impact of reliability enhancing adjustments to designs
  • Explain the various embedded communication standards in terms of their performance, reliability, safety and flexibility
Assessment 21479-01 : Module mark : Mixed (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions Assessment:

Assessments: A written unseen examination of 2 hours answering 3 questions from 4 (50%), a laboratory report assessed (15%) and an assignment assessed by a presentation and report (2000 words) (35%).

Reassessment:

If the module is failed then each component that is failed will be repeated and the existing marks carried forward to compute a new mark. In each case a new examination or assignment will be issued.
Other None
Reading List Wayne Wolf, Computers as Components, Morgan Kaufmann
Steve Heath. Embedded System Design, Newnes
Raj Kamal. Embedded Systems: Architecture, Programming, and Design. McGraw Hill