Microcontrollers (MCU) are used everywhere today...in microwave ovens, engine controls in
cars, automatic bread makers, to distributed I/O Controllers in Mainframe Computers. This
course is designed to provide a learning experience that will prepare students to enter the
design community ready to design and work with these systems.

Through a combined lecture and laboratory environment, the students will be introduced
to the concepts of microcontrollers and their uses. These concepts will then be utilized, in
the laboratory, to provide solutions to typical applications problems. Many applications problems will be assigned, and the students will be required to design and implement the solutions.

The goal of this course is to provide students with the knowledge of MCU architecture and
application. By the end of the course students will acquire the following:
(1) knowledge of the various software and hardware components of a microcontroller,
(2) understanding of MCU design and instruction set architecture (ISA), and
(3) ability to develop MCU applications using the C++ programming language.

In addition to core microcontroller technologies, this course will cover essential ancillary topics
that are necessary for completing a product development lifecycle and bringing a product to
market. These topics may include:
- Device Selection and Data Sheets,
- Surface Mount Technologies,
- PCB Design,
- Enclosure Design and Manufacturing,
- Startup Concepts including Team Formation, Prototyping, and Financing.