EEL 4746 - Microprocessor-Based System Design

Curriculum Designation: Required for electrical engineering and computer engineering majors.

Course Description: Fundamental topics in basic computer design, structured assembly-language software design, RTL, CPU design, pipelineing and superscaling, computer arithmetic, memory and I/O organization and interface, cache, and design tools.

Prerequisites: EEL 3705 and EEL 3705L

Course Objectives:

  1. Identify important parts of a microprocessor-based system design.
  2. Calculate physical memory addresses from instruction opcodes and interpret different source and destination addressing schemes.
  3. Interpret memory and register operations and results by analyzing assembler code to determine data movement and microprocessor state.
  4. Calculate binary, hexadecimal, decimal and two's complement number conversion, and solve arithmetic relationships using signed and unsigned integer arithmetic.
  5. Identify microprocessor interface types and design interface routines using assembly language.
  6. Develop and verify an assembly language program for a modern microprocessor.
  7. Analyze contemporary issues in microprocessor-based design.
  8. Recognize the need for lifelong learning and engage in lifelong learning.

Topics Covered:

  1. Introduction to microprocessor architectures
  2. Computer codes, memory and addressing modes
  3. Microprocessor architecture and programming
  4. Memory maps and memory interfacing
  5. Input-output interfacing

Class Schedule: Three 50 minute or two 75 minute lectures per week (3 credit hours).

Contribution to Professional Component: Engineering topic: 3 credit hours

Science/Design (%): 80% / 20%

Relationship to ABET Program Outcomes: A, C, E, H, I, J, K and O (CpE)

Prepared by: Bruce A. Harvey