M. Morris Mano and Michael D. Ciletti, Digital Design (4th Ed.), Prentice Hall, 2006. (ISBN 0131989243)
The textbook is available at UMass Textbook Annex, tel.545-3570.
Course Overview
This course covers theoretical and practical topics of the operation of digital electronic circuits, a ubiquitous and critically important foundation for the ECE discipline. Binary data representation, Boolean algebra, combinational and sequential logic, and abstraction of standard design components are introduced to discuss the design and analysis of digital circuit designs. A discussion and software lab component reemphasize these concepts with examples and practical applications.
Course Goals
After taking this course, you will be able to design and analyze digital electronic circuits. In the process, you will learn how Boolean algebra forms the theoretical foundation on which these circuits are built. You will learn how information can be represented in a digital system and what common logic functions are used to process it. You will learn how memory components expand the functionality the behavior of digital circuits. You will learn to use software tools that will aid you in the process of design and analysis of these circuits. Most importantly, you will see how circuits can be aggregated into larger components that allow more complex designs. You will experience the convergence of these goals at the end of the semester when we discuss the functionality of a simple microprocessor.
Class Meetings
There are three types of class meetings that will be held for ENGIN 112:
- Lectures will be held three times a week by Professor Ciesielski. The main goal of the lectures is to present and discuss the main content that is covered in this course. It is expected that you have worked through the assigned reading and are familiar with the topic of the lecture. Lectures are not intended and cannot be a replacement for reading assignments.
- Discussion sessions are held weekly by Professor Kelly.
The goal of the discussion session is to reemphasize the topics covered in the lecture and illustrate the concepts using examples. The discussion sessions are held in smaller groups (20-30 students) to encourage questions and discussion. You are expected to have studied the topics covered in lecture and to prepare questions that might have arisen.
- Lab sessions are held weekly by graduate and undergraduate TAs.
The goal of the lab is to apply the concepts learned during the lectures to practical
design problems. There will be two types of labs:
1. "M5-Labs" are hands-on, practical labs where students will build interactive systems using the open-source Arduino platform. (The Arduino software is available as a free download at http://www.arduino.cc). Students will learn how to program and use tiny $5 computers to build a music synthesizer controller, a wireless data link and other embedded systems. These labs will take place at M5 located in Marcus Hall, Room 5 and will be supervised by Prof. Soules. Attendance and lab demos are required for all M5 labs.
2. "E-Labs" are software labs,
where students will learn how to design and simulate digital circuits
using modern computer-aided design and verification tools.
In particular, students will use commercial Quartus II software from Altera,
a leading provider of programmable logic devices (PLDs).
Quartus II is an important software tool that will be used in later courses in the ECE
curriculum. These labs will take place in ELAB 307.
The software is available in CSE labs in Marston 112 and 134.
Students can also download free software license from Altera and install them on
their personal computers.
Attendance in these lab session is not required but it is strongly encouraged.
The different components of ENGIN 112 are designed to provide ample opportunity for you to clarify reading assignments, ask questions, and practice your skills. You are encouraged to seek any additional help you need from the instructors and TA’s during their office hours.
Grading
Your final grade will be derived from your performance in three areas:
- Homework is one of the most important methods of evaluation as it lets you track your continued progress in the course. Homework is assigned weekly (refer to the schedule). Each homework assignment is graded with an A-grade and a B-grade. The A-grade reflects the fraction of problems where a full solution was attempted. The B-grade reflects the score achieved for a selected set of problems. The total grade for a homework is (A+B)/2.
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Lab attendance and successful lab demo is required for each of the M5 labs.
Lab reports are required for each of the four ELAB lab assignments.
These two components (lab attendance and reports) are an integral part of the total lab grade. Students who will miss any of those components will not receive the grade for the lab component of the grade.
- Exams are the most heavily weighted component of the grade. Two midterm exams and one final exam will be given. The exams are closed-book, closed-notes (but open-minds) and evaluate how well you retained and understood the course content as well as how well you can apply the course concepts to new problems. For each exam, an in-class review and a question and answer discussion session will be held to provide time for resolving issues regarding the content and procedure of the exam.
The final grade will be norm-referenced (i.e., graded “on a curve”)
with the following weighting:
- Exam I – 20%
- Exam II – 20%
- Final Exam – 30%
- Homework – 15%
- Laboratory – 15% (must pass each lab component)
You are encouraged to track your scores on WebCT to ensure that you have received the appropriate credit for each of your assignments and exams. No extra credit or “make-up” assignments will be given (with exception to the cases stated in the examination policy below).
Course Policy
Attendance and Punctuality
You are expected to attend the all of the lectures as well as the laboratory/discussion sections for which you are enrolled. You are expected to come to lectures, examinations, discussion sections, and laboratory sections on time; arriving late and/or leaving early is disrespectful and disrupts the entire class.
Homework and Laboratory Assignments
Homework problems are critically important for understanding and reinforcing the course material. Homework assignments, consisting primarily of problems from the Mano text, will be assigned weekly and posted on the web site along with the due dates. Lab assignments and due dates for lab reports will also be posted on the web site. Homework assignments and lab reports will be due at the lecture room before class starts on the posted due dates. Late homework and lab reports will not be accepted. Lab reports must be created with a typesetting software (hand-drawn figures and circuits are permissible if done cleanly). The work you turn in must be your own.
Examinations
There will be two midterm exams. Examinations can be made up only in the case of excused absences, as defined in the UMass Code of Student Conduct (http://www.umass.edu/dean_students/code_conduct/)
and if instructors are notified in a timely fashion (in advance).
An unexcused absence at an exam will constitute a failure of the exam. Cheating will not be tolerated, and will be handled in accordance with the UMass policy on Academic Honesty http://www.umass.edu/dean_students/code_conduct/acad_honest.htm).
