ECE 2031
Overview
ECE 2031 is a 2 credit hour ECE laboratory class, and is a requirement for both electrical engineering and computer engineering majors.[1]
ECE 2031 is, in effect, the laboratory class for ECE 2020 and introduces students to design and implementation methods for digital systems. Labs are released weekly and must be checked off by undergraduate teaching assistants. Pre-lab quizzes are administered prior to lab check offs.
Emphasis is placed on developing technical communications skills; laboratory reports are graded to strict formatting and content standard. The semester concludes with a team project, requiring cooperation within a group of three to four other students.
Topics
As of Spring 2021[1], the topics covered in the class were:
- CAD Tools
- Logic Synthesis using an HDL
- HDL models of basic gates and logic operations
- Combinational design using multiple methods: primitive gates, schematic capture for FPGAs, and VHDL
- HDL based simulation and synthesis with FPGAs
- Examination of real timing issues on hardware using timing simulation, oscilloscope, and logic analyzer
- State machine specification, design, and simulation
- State machine implementation with multiple methods
- Design verification with logic analyzer
- HDL models of data storage elements
- ROM and RAM implementations on FPGA boards
- Hardware design of a simple computer with ALU, registers, control unit, memory, instructions, and I/O
- HDL-based simple computer simulation and implementation on FPGA board
- Machine language and assembly language programming for the simple computer
- Simulation and implementation of programs on the FPGA board
- Final design project problem specification (examples: video game, control application, robot, or contest)
- Hardware and tools available to solve the final design project problem
- Project engineering issues: top-down vs. bottom-up design, hierarchical decomposition, and modularity
How it Fits into the Curriculum
ECE 2031 is a requirement for EE and CmpE majors, and is a requirement for the CS Systems and Architectures thread[2]. It is a prerequisite for ECE 3005, ECE 3006, ECE 3040, ECE 3043, ECE 3056, ECE 3150, ECE 4180, ECE 4452, ECE 4550, CS 3220, and CS 3651.
Current Registration Info
ECE 2031 is not a linked course.
Prerequisites
Two prerequisite options exist for ECE 2031:
AP/IB Credit
No AP or IB credit is available for this course.
Resources
Course Website
This course has a custom-made website which includes pre-lab and lab guides. In addition, lab checkoffs are done through this website.
All other info for this course will be on Canvas, or wherever the syllabus says.
