Embedded Systems Course

Embedded Systems

Week 1/ Introduction to Embedded System

Week 2/ Prototyping Embedded Systems

Week 3/ Introduction to Sensor Modules

Week 4/ Embedded System Development Life

Week 5/ Embedded Systems Development Essentials

Week 6/ Producing the Final Assignment

Week 7/ Revision of Final Assignment

Week 1: 

This class deepened my understanding of embedded systems, which integrate hardware and software for specific tasks across various applications, from home appliances to automotive controls. It covered their categorization by generation, performance, and real-time capabilities, highlighting their critical role in medical devices and automobiles. The course also showcased their use in smart offices, such as NFC music walls, smart lights, and door locks, enhancing efficiency while raising privacy and data storage concerns. Overall, it underscored the importance of embedded systems in modern life and the ethical considerations in their design.

During the practical class, our teacher introduced us to some of the components that we would be using in the upcoming lessons and then asked us to form groups of five to learn better in the future.He also said that he would give each group a box of these electronic components as learning materials.At the end of the class, Mr. Nedu announced that the assignment was to create a poster for an embedded design project of our own design. After active and enthusiastic discussions in our group called "4+1", we decided to use the display screen to make a project to call for the protection of the oceans with the theme of environmental protection.

Week 2: 

This class clarified the systematic design process of embedded systems, emphasizing that it involves more than just coding and hardware assembly. It highlighted critical steps from requirements analysis to system integration, including translating user needs into specifications, selecting components, and integrating hardware and software. Using a GPS module example, I learned how to address challenges like interface verification and performance optimization during debugging. Overall, the course underscored the complexity of embedded system design and better prepared me for future projects.

In the practical class, the teacher patiently taught us how to install Pycharm and Python programs on our computers. Although the process was a bit tedious, I successfully downloaded these two programs and familiarized myself with their usage under the teacher's step-by-step guidance.I am looking forward to making good works with them!

Week 3:

This class provided a comprehensive overview of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). AR overlays digital elements onto the real world, while VR creates immersive virtual environments. The course explored AR types like marker-based and markerless AR, and showcased their applications in gaming, education, and healthcare. It also introduced development tools such as Unity with Vuforia for AR, Unreal Engine for VR, and Blender for 3D modeling, highlighting the need for skills in programming, 3D design, and graphics rendering. Overall, the class deepened my interest in AR and VR, revealing their vast future potential.

In the practical class, we finished the system installation of Raspberry Pi.During the process, our team encountered many difficulties, such as not having an SD card, but fortunately Mr. Nedu was especially patient and guided us to solve the problems to overcome the difficulties, and finally successfully installed the system.Next we entered a specific code into the Raspberry Pi that would control the LEDs to lighten and darken and the buzzer to sound.Our group clapped and cheered when the buzzer sounded because it was so hard to do, and we were all very happy with the result, we all learned a lot in this lesson!

Week 4:

This class deepened my understanding of the embedded system development process, highlighting its systematic and iterative nature. From requirement analysis and feasibility studies to design, implementation, and testing, each step is critical. Functional, performance, and security testing ensure system stability and reliability. The course also stressed the importance of post-release maintenance and updates, emphasizing that long-term system effectiveness relies on continuous improvement. Overall, it provided valuable insights into the complexity of embedded system development, better preparing me for future projects.

In the practical class, the teacher taught us how to connect two circuit boards, we used five wires, three of which were connected to positive, negative and ground, as well as because of the different voltages we also linked a resistor to make their voltages the same to assemble them.The process was particularly detailed and there was a lot to memorize.We couldn't get through when we entered a wrong number, and I realized that it really is all about the details, and the details are incredibly important.Once the hardware part was done, we tested the touch sensor code again, which resulted in it giving us feedback accordingly when we lightly touched the touch sensor.

Week 5:

This class gave me a solid understanding of the Embedded System Development Life Cycle (ESDLC), breaking down the entire process from start to finish. It all begins with figuring out what the system needs to do—talking to stakeholders, defining requirements, and setting constraints. Then, we learned how to check if the project is even doable by looking at technical, financial, and legal factors. Once that’s clear, the real work starts: designing the hardware, software, and interfaces, picking the right components, and putting everything together. Testing was a big focus too—functional tests, performance checks, security scans, and more to make sure the system works as expected. After testing, it’s time to launch the product, create user guides, and plan how to market it. But it doesn’t stop there—maintenance and updates are key to keeping the system running smoothly over time. Overall, this class made the whole development process feel more manageable and gave me the tools to tackle future embedded system projects with confidence.

During the practical class, we showed Mr. Nedu the PPT of the embedded project on marine conservation that our team had done and he said that everything was fine except that the version of RespberryPi mentioned in the PPT needed to be changed.This gave us great confidence as well as joy as we were recognized for the project we had been working on for a week.We decided to continue working on it in the future.

Week 6:

In this lesson, we got our hands dirty setting up and coding some of the projects. First, we learned how to enable the ability to connect a monitor on the Pi, create folders, and install the necessary tools to make it work. Then, we ran some sample programs using a coding app called Thonny. Next, we played around with sensors - writing code to make LEDs light up when motion is detected and touch sensors are pressed. We also did some math to figure out the right resistance for the LED to make sure it wouldn't burn out. All in all, it was a fun and practical lesson in how to connect things, write simple code and solve basic problems, which will definitely come in handy for future projects!

During the practical class, we kept discussing with Mr.Nedu about how the model for our final group work was made.The process was not easy as our group was opting to use a display instead of LED lights.Our group work was completed step by step according to Mr. Nedu's instructions and went smoothly under his continuous guidance.Because our idea is that the area where the display is touched will change from a beautiful ocean to a polluted ocean full of garbage, to raise people's attention to the protection of the oceans, and to call for more attention to environmental protection.So did the code we needed, and we followed the video recommended by Mr. Nedu to learn how to write a code that would make the display screen change with a touch.Each of us was actively involved and couldn't be happier with our eventual success.

Week 7:

In the last week, we continued to optimize our final group work, as well as recorded an explanation video for it and sent it to Mr. Nedu to watch, he asked us to place the screen standing up instead of leaning against the model as before.We followed his advice and recorded the video again to complete our group work, we were very pleased with our results, I felt a sense of accomplishment and more confident in my future learning!