Self-Paced and Error-Free Code Microprocessor Courses

This short note describes two courses that dealt with microprocessors in an electrical engineering curriculum. The first course, taught at the junior level at Notre Dame, was in logic design. Training students in error-free microprocessor realization of logic circuits was a major course objective. The course was unique in that the first half was that of a "standard" logic curriculum, while the second half was devoted to microprocessor realization of combinational and sequential logic circuits. This second half included material on the Intel 8080 microprocessor, structured programming, a high level programming language (PL/M) and the application of skills in these areas to create microprocessor logic circuits. The course was self-paced. It achieved its primary objective and received an enthusiastic response from the students. The second course, taught at a senior/graduate level at the University of Tulsa, was titled "Advanced Microprocessor Systems Design." Its objectives were to introduce students to the 16 bit Intel 8086 microprocessor and associated integrated circuits, to develop student skills in both an assembly language (ASM-86) and a high level language (PL/M-86), and to teach the students the concepts of top-down structured design. Each student designed a small microcomputer based on the 8086 and its associated integrated circuits. In both courses, students learned new microprocessor and programming skills quickly and efficiently. As hoped, use of disciplined techniques such as careful problem statement and structured programming led students in both courses to error-free microprocessor logic circuits.