Embedded System Learning Platform for Developing Economies

Abstract

The continual research of electronic embedded system platforms for teaching and learning is of paramount importance. This is to increase the impact on a universities’ ability to lead in technological advancement with goals to enhance innovation and accelerate the concept-to-deployment process. Technological progress in the fields of electronics, wireless communication, cognitive computing, and robotics has caused almost everything which connects to electricity to have a small processor and sensor embedded with itself [1]. Cognitive or Intelligent embedded systems are the ‘core’ of trends such as: reduced energy consumption, deep learning applications, improved security for embedded devices, cloud connectivity and mesh networking, and visualization tools with real time data. This paper is aimed at stimulating design and innovation in electronics education through the rapid prototyping of configurable embedded systems. It also covers remote access functionality is also shown using cloud services. Divided into two parts, this paper gives design examples for both an elevator controller and a Data Acquisition (DAQ) system design. Focus was on the Programmable System on Chip (PSoC) 6 based kit, PSoC Creator software, and Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Engineering Workbench (LabVIEW) as rapid prototyping and learning platforms for digital and analog system designs. The Universal Digital Block (UDB) editor in PSoC Creator software was used to configure PSoC chip digital blocks and design a Finite State Machine (FSM) based elevator controller, which acquired digital signals and gave corresponding output. LabVIEW was used as a signal analysis tool and was also used to send results for online access and display. The PSoC and LabVIEW ecosystems are utilized here to bring an innovative paradigm into the embedded system design. These two platforms, especially combined with the virtual instrumentation concept, offer configurability and monetary value. This paper shows that the use of these ecosystems for the purpose of electronics education can accelerate learning and bridge the gaps within the online environments that students and universities find increasingly necessary.