SYSC4805 - Computer Systems Design Lab

Table Of Contents

1. Course Introduction
2. Project Management

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1. Course Introduction

Course Philosophy

• SYSC 4805 - Computer System’s Design Lab is a project-based course aimed at making small scale embedded systems through the collaboration of an engineering team.

• Split into 3 parts:

  • Managing Engineering Projects
  • Technical Skills
  • Communication skills

Learning Outcomes

1. Define concepts of product design, development methodology, and team-based project management.
2. Design an embedded microcontroller-based system for an engineering problem using hardware and software components.
3. Identify and adapt to realistic constraints.
4. Analyze potential solutions for an engineering project.
5. Use knowledge to analyze and solve an engineering problem.
6. Evaluate and predict performance using the Scientific method.
7. Define, plan, and manage a moderately complex project.
8. Develop teamwork and entrepreneurial skills.
9. Develop communication skills through technical presentations and reports.

Project Generalities

• The goal of the project is to design and build a robotic platform containing:
  • Moving components
  • Sensors
  • Software that performs data fusion, decision making, processes sensor data, and uses the robot to solve a task.
• Project task is to use the robot to clear the snow off an enclosed are by a closed black path.
  • Robot most deal with fixed an moving obstacles without hitting them.

Embedded System

• Class of computers that span a wide range of applications and performance.
• Embedded Systems split by Application:
  • Automotive
  • Telecommunication
  • Healthcare
  • Industrial
  • Consumer Electronics
  • Military and Aerospace
  • Manufacturing

Microcontroller vs Microprocessor

• Microcontroller’s are all-in-one chips (containing CPU, memory, I/O peripherals, etc) designed for specific tasks (e.g Arduino).
• Microprocessors are powerful CPU’s that need external memory and I/O to function. They are built for high-performance, general-purpose computing (e.g. Raspberry Pi).

The Arduino Due

• A microcontroller with:
  • 32-bit ARm core @ 84 MHz clock
  • 512 Kb flash and 100 KB SRAM
  • 54 digital I/O pins
  • 12 PWM outputs (max 3.3V)
  • 12 Analog inputs (12-bit ADC, max 3.3V)
  • 2 Analog outputs (12-bit DAC)
  • USB, SPI, I2C, CAN, and UART interfaces
  • 9 32-bit timers
  • 3 low-power modes
  • ATmega16U2 microcontroller chip that acts as a bridge between the computer’s USB and the main serial port
• Data sheet is SAM3X8E

The Arduino Nano Every

• Based on the ATMega4809
• 8-bit AVR processor @ 20 MHz clock
• 48 KB Flash, 6 KB SRAM, 256B EEPROM
• 20 Digital input/output pins (Maximum 5V)
• 5 PWM outputs
• 8 Analog inputs (10-bit ADC) (Maximum 5V)
• No Analog outputs (only through PWM)
• Interfaces: USB, SPI, I2C, and UART
• 1 Timer (16-bit timer)
• Some low-power modes
• Almost all the pins are configurable by software.
• Also holds ATSAMD11D14A ARM Cortex-M0+ processor acts as a bridge between USB and the main AVR processor

Why Arduino?

• Stable and sturdy
• Faster development cycle
• Has built-in functions for directly working with microcontroller registers

Sensors We Use

Sensor	Description	Interface
Rover Line Follower	Analog on/off line detector/follower	Analog Output
Obstacle Detection IR Sensor	Digital on/off Obstacle detection	Digital Output
Laser Range Finder	Time-of-flight (TOF) range finder 4 - 400 cm	I2C
Ultrasonic	Distance measurement	Timer
Analog Distance Sensor	Distance measurement 2 - 15 cm	Analog Output
IMU	Gyro, Accelerometer and Compass	I2C
Wheel Encoder	Rotation degree of the wheels	Counters

Some Bad Stories

Examples where bad software led to catastrophes:

• 2022 Rogers Communication Outage: 25% of Canada lost internet connectivity
• 1997 Mars Pathfinder incident: Total system resets after landing, caused by faulty watchdog timer
• Therac-25 (1987): Bug in accepting commands led to machine being able to work in high power mode without shield (error displayed, unclear code number)
• 2009 Toyota Unintended Acceleration: Wide Open Throttle with no feet on pedal
• Boeing 737 MAX: Lion Air Flight 610, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, angle-of-attack sensor falsely reports aircraft going to high, pushing nose down and causing aircraft to dive.

2. Project Management

Definitions

• Project: A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result
  • Examples: Introducing a new car, upgrading models, merging two organizations
• Project management: The application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements
• Knowledge area: A discipline or field of expertise in project management; groups together processes that share common subject matter
• Phase: A time-based division of the project life cycle (stages of project progression)
• Focus: What you need to know and manage in a project

Goals of Project Management

1. Meet project objectives
2. Satisfy stakeholder expectations
3. More predictable
4. Increased chances of success, within schedule and budget
5. Identify and respond to risks
6. Identify, recover, or terminate failing projects

How to Know Project Management was NOT Involved

1. Parts of project vary widely in quality and style (over and under engineered)
2. Some features keep consuming resources when they should have been killed
3. Essential processes are rushed or removed entirely (testing, maintenance and upgrade plans)
4. Time schedules are based on actual coding time, nothing else

Project Management Knowledge Areas

In accordance with the PMBOK Guide

• Project Integration Management
• Project Scope Management
• Project Schedule Management
• Project Cost Management
• Project Quality Management
• Project Human Resource Management
• Project Communications Management
• Project Risk Management
• Project Procurement Management
• Project Stakeholder Management

ChatGPT Mnemonic: I See Smart Cool Humans Communicate Risks, Plans, Success

Project Integration Management (Management Plan)

Identify, define, combine, unify, and coordinate the various processes and project management activities.

1. Develop Project Charter: Writing a document that formally authorizes the existence of a project
2. Develop Project Management Plan: Design/building plan components into integrated project management plan
3. Direct and Manage Project Work: Leading/performing work in project management plan to achieve project objectives
4. Manage Project Knowledge: Using existing knowledge to create new knowledge to achieve project objectives
5. Monitor and Control Project Work: Tracking/reviewing overall progress to meet objectives in the project management plan
6. Perform Integrated Change Control: Review, approve, and manage project changes while updating and communicating decisions.
7. Close Project/Phase: Finalizing all project/phase/contract activities

PM Integration: Definitions

• Project Charter: Paragraph description for; project purpose, objectives, success criteria, key deliverables, exit criteria
• Project Management Plan: Description of all documents on how the project will be executed/monitored/controlled/closed.

Project Scope Management

Ensure the project plan only includes all the work required

1. Plan Scope Management: Creating scope management plan which documents how project scope is defined/validated/controlled
2. Collect Requirements: Documenting/managing stakeholder needs and requirements for project’s objectives
3. Define Scope: Developing detailed description of the project and product
4. Create WBS: Subdividing deliverables into smaller manageable components
5. Validate Scope: Formalizing acceptance of completed deliverables
6. Control Scope: Monitoring status of project/product scope as well as changes to scope baseline

PM Scope: Definitions

• Product scope: Features and functions that characterize a product/service/result
• Project scope: Work performed to deliver a product/service/result with specified features/functions

PM Scope: Requirements

• A written agreement between customer and engineers on a projects functional/non-functional requirements
• Most important aspect of project
• Requirements Language:
  • [Condition] [Subject] [Action] [Object] [Constraint of Action]
    • Condition (optional): Condition under which requirements applies, generally starts with “When”
    • Subject: The actor (e.g. the application, the system)
    • Action: The action of the requirement (e.g. shall return to, shall send)
    • Object (optional): Object of the action (e.g. a signal, message, particular state)
    • Constraint (optional): Restricts the action (e.g. time limit), generally uses “within”

PM Scope: Characteristics of Good Requirements

• Singular: Requirement shall include only one statement and addresses one and only one thing
• Unambiguous: Every requirement has only one interpretation (avoid ambiguity)
• Implementation Free: Requirements shall specify system expectations without describing how it will do it
• Verifiable: Every requirement must be verifiable (person must be bale to check that the system meets said requirement)
• Traceable: Requirements shall be upward traceable to stakeholders’ needs
• Consistent: Requirements must not contradict each other
• Affordable and Feasible: Requirements can be realized within development and system constraints
• Complete: Requirements include all significant requirements and proper responses to all possible inputs (valid and invalid)

ChatGPT Mnemonic: Smart Users Implement Very Thorough, Consistent, Achievable Criteria

PM Scope: Requirements Traceability Matrix

• Grid that links product requirements from their origin to the deliverables to ensure each requirement adds business value.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Project Schedule Management

Manage the timely completion of a project

1. Plan Schedule Management
2. Define Activities
3. Sequence Activities
4. Develop Schedule
5. Estimate Activity Durations
6. Estimate Activity Resources
7. Control Schedule

PM Schedule: Activity List

PM Schedule: Milestone List

PM Schedule: Schedule Network Diagram

PM Schedule: Precedence Diagramming Method (PDM)

Dependency Types:

1. Finish-to-start (FS):
2. Finish-to-finish (FF):
3. Start-to-start (SS):
4. Start-to-finish(SF):

Critical Path Method (CPM)

Project Cost Management

Planning/estimating/financing/managing costs so that the project can be completed within the approved budget

1. Plan Cost Management:
2. Estimate Cost:
3. Control Costs:
4. Determine Budget:

Project Quality Management

1. Plan Quality Management:
2. Perform Quality Assurance
3. Control Quality

Project Human Resource Management

1. Plan Human Resource Management
2. Acquire Project Team
3. Develop Project Team
4. Manage Project Team

Project Communications Management

1. Plan Communications Management
2. Manage Communications
3. Control Communications

Project Risk Management

1. Plan Risk Management:
2. Identify Risks
3. Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis
4. Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis
5. Plan Risk Responses
6. Control Risks

Project Procurement Management

1. Plan Procurement Management
2. Conduct Procurement
3. Control Procurement
4. Complete Procurement

Project Stakeholder Management

1. identify Stakeholders:
2. Plan Stakeholder Management
3. Manage Stakeholder Engagement
4. Control Stakeholder Engagement

3. Better Embedded Systems

4. Embedded Systems Programming