ELEC 332

What to Turn in

Work in the Lab: There's a lot to talk about here. Assembly should be old hat by now, so there shouldn't be much to say about it. The interactions with the PC have become more complex, with two programs instead of just one to contend with. This should go smoothly, but discuss any problems you may have had getting the programs to work.
The big topic for discussion is the PCB layout process. There's probably so much to talk about here that it should have its own section e.g. "Work in the Layout Mines." Whatever you decide to title it, discuss your layout experience in some detail.
Results from the Lab: For the SIO to PC portion, there's not much in the way of traditional, quantitative lab results to report on: it either worked or it didn't. However, the RS232 output signal from the level converter and the I²C bus signals between the MSP430 and the LTC1669 are not perfect, straight edged pulse waveforms. Describe the shape of these waveforms and discuss the cause of their non-idealness.
For the I²C DAC, say a little bit about how well it worked. Is it possible to characterize its accuracy or response?
Design Discussion: There are two aspects of design to discuss this week: the hardware design embodied in the two new boards (RS232 converter and I²C DAC), and the software design in the programs that exercised them. The former is fairly straightforward, but say what needs to be said about it. Say a bit more about the software aspects. How easy is it to accomplish what needs to be done in software? How might the sample programs have done it differently? What are some of the tradeoffs involved?
Design and Programming Challenges: This is really just the programming challenge this week. (Remember, you only have to accept one of them.)
Document your Board: Include a copy of your captured schematic and board layout. Include a photograph of your completed board.