605.715.81 - Software Development for Real-Time Embedded Systems

Course Structure

The course materials are divided into modules which can be accessed by clicking Course Modules on the left menu. A module will have several sections including the overview, content, readings, discussions, and assignments. You are encouraged to preview all sections of the module before starting. Most modules run for a period of seven (7) days, exceptions are noted in the Course Outline. You should regularly check the Calendar and Announcements for assignment due dates.

Course Topics

Simon-1&2:Hardware Fundamentals
Simon-3:Advanced Hardware Fundamentals
Simon-4:Software Control with Interrupts
Simon-5:Embedded Software Architectures
Simon-6:Real Time Operating Systems
Simon-7:RTOS Services
Simon-8:Basic Design Using a Real-Time Operating System
Simon-9&10:Embedded Development Tools and Debugging Techniques
Molloy-1,2:Raspberry Pi Basics
Molloy-13:Wireless Comms
Molloy-3,4&5:Interfacing and Programming
Molloy-6&8:Interfaces, I/O, and Targeting
Molloy-11:RPi Buses and interface to Environment
Molloy-7&15:Images, Video & Audio, Cross Compilation
Molloy-12&14:IoT, Rich UI

Course Goals

The goal of this course is to provide both practical and theoretical information about the field of real-time embedded programming.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

• Describe real-time systems and how real-time resource management algorithms and mechanisms (e.g., scheduling, synchronization) enable satisfaction of application timing constraints.
• Examine and evaluate the hardware functionality required by an embedded system to achieve real-time operation by developing and demonstrating a bare metal embedded system which records and transmits temperatures at a periodic rate.
• Describe and illustrate real-time operation of a system by designing, developing, and demonstrating the hardware and software components of a bare metal embedded system performing a single task.
• Create and demonstrate the concept of Real Time operating systems that support concurrency and scheduling by designing, developing, and demonstrating the hardware and software components of a RTOS embedded system measuring a propeller’s speed.
• Design, develop, and demonstrate the hardware and software components of an embedded linux system to transmit real time video via WiFi to a Host (Android/Tablet/Laptop)
• Design, develop, and demonstrate the hardware and software components of an embedded linux system to transmit GPS via WiFi to a Host (Android/Tablet/Laptop)
• Design, develop, and demonstrate the hardware and software components of an embedded linux system to transmit IMU via WiFi to a Host (Android/Tablet/Laptop)
• Design, develop, and demonstrate the hardware and software components of an embedded RTOS system to transmit IMU via I2C to an embedded Linux system which receives GPS and sends IMU+GPS a Host (Android/Tablet/Laptop)

Textbooks

Simon, David E, (1999). An Embedded Software Primer. Pearson Education Inc., ISBN: 8177581546

Molloy, Derek, (2016). Exploring Raspberry PI. Indianapolis, IN: John Wiley and Sons. ISBN 978-1-119-18868-1

Textbook information for this course is available online through the appropriate bookstore website: For online courses, search the MBS website at http://ep.jhu.edu/bookstore.

Other Materials & Online Resources

Students need to acquire the processing hardware
An Arduino such as an UNO or a Mega 2560 Starter Kit but many other duins will suffice.
A Raspberry PI. Preferably a Raspberry Pi 4 Kit so you have Bluetooth and WiFi but RPI 3 B would suffice. Also, a plastic case will greatly help mounting on the QuadCopter.
Possibly a soldering kit with some solder for soldering 4 pins to the IMU, ($11 to $40 on Amazon) if your kit contains a new IMU or logic level converter which would need soldering
This Spring semester is the first time I have enough complete kits for all students right at the start of the semester and I will ship kits after the first week.
Most starter kits include a Bread Board, LEDs, and Resisters. Temp Sensors and IR Emitter + Detector pairs are readily available
A 5/64 in. long arm hex Allen key wrench is very useful for Quadcopter assembly.
JHU EP will provide the parts for projects which I will personally mail to you so you need to provide me your preferred USPS mailing address, email, and phone number. At the end of the semester you either need to return the still operational parts back to me or pay JHU EP for the cost of the parts, which is $563.01 as of 2024-01-15. When parts are shipped, students are provided tracking numbers and USPS provides tracking updates via email.

Required Software

Whatever software you desire to use to develop your projects.  Most students use gcc C or C++ in Eclipse.

Student Coursework Requirements

It is expected that each module will take approximately 7–12 hours per week to complete. Here is an approximate breakdown: reading the assigned sections of the texts (approximately 3–4 hours per week) as well as some outside reading, listening to the audio annotated slide presentations (approximately 2–3 hours per week), and developing projects (approximately 2–5 hours per week).

This course will consist of the following basic student requirements:

Preparation and Participation

You are responsible for carefully reading all assigned material and being prepared for discussion. The majority of readings are from the course text. Additional reading may be assigned to supplement text readings.

Post your initial response to the discussion questions by the evening of day 3 for that module week. Posting a response to the discussion question is part one of your grade for module discussions (i.e., Timeliness).

Part two of your grade for module discussion is your interaction (i.e., responding to classmate postings with thoughtful responses) with other classmates (i.e., Critical Thinking). Just posting your response to a discussion question is not sufficient; we want you to interact with your classmates. Be detailed in your postings and in your responses to your classmates' postings. Feel free to agree or disagree with your classmates. Please ensure that your postings are civil and constructive.

I will monitor module discussions and will respond to some of the discussions as discussions are posted. In some instances, I will summarize the overall discussions and post the summary for the module.

Evaluation of preparation and participation is based on contribution to discussions.

Preparation and participation is evaluated by the following Rubric:

Quizzes

Each module of the course content may have a quiz encompassing items in the module. The student is expected to complete these each week during the week of the associated module to gauge their mastery of the material and identify areas needing additional study and review. Quizzes can be taken as many times as desired and the grade is the average of all Quiz attempts.

Course Projects

Course Projects start with a simple project and build upon one another to culminate in a flying quadcopter

Each course project is evaluated by the following grading elements:

Based upon the stated project requirements, the student echoes or refines the requirements

Either a written, or graphical depiction of the design or combination of written + graphical depiction.  This does not need to be from a tool.  A hand drawn design may be all that is needed to convey your design, but generally ones from tools appear better.

Your source code for implementation of the project

A hyperLink to a video uploaded to YouTube or other site within your folder+project capturing in video a demonstration of your design meeting the requirements with your recorded voice describing how it meets the requirements.  Past experience has been that sharing of One Drive, Google Drive, dropbox, etc sometimes work and sometimes not.  Youtube when set to public or unlisted sharing has always worked. The video should be short, around 2 min in duration and definitely less than 5 min in duration and and points are deducted for videos too long.  Time is a scarce resource for many students.

This class uses a Google Group to assist collaboration.  At the beginning of the semester, all student’s JHU emails are added to the Google Group which allows students to send an email to the group which is sent to all other students including myself and graders.  Likewise, when a reply is sent to the Google Group, it is sent to all others in the group working as a distribution list.  The Google Group also has a website which maintains all past messages.  In order to be able to navigate to the website, you must be logged into a Google account and your Google gmail or some other email linked to gmail must be added to the Google Group.  If you would also like to have that functionality, please send me at DFergus1@jh.edu your gmail address or gmail linked address and let me know if you would like your gmail address to be added to the Google Group or replace your JHU email address in the Google Group.

Students are encouraged to collaborate and help each other with the projects.  Early in the semester a spreadsheet will be shared containing each student’s name, email, and zip code to help students determine who they might collaborate with, if they choose to do so.  As such, students can form groups of 2 or 3 students where there is only one submission for all students in the group to Canvas where the front page CLEARLY indicates the names of all students in the group.  The one submission will be graded using the Assignment Rubric and all students in the group will receive the same grade for that project submission.  

This is an embedded software course with progressive projects culminating in a flying quadcopter which can download video, GPS, and IMU data.  It was originally based on developing a Segway, as the PID implementation was very complex was modified to use race cars, then modified to use a QuadCopter with a Flight Controller.  As it can be difficult to achieve stable flight, although flight is included in grading it is a small part of the grade and students can get a good grade without achieving stable flight.  Project 4 requires assembly and flight demonstration so full Rubric Correct 150 points are for achieving stable flight.  In the following 9 modules, 20 points of Rubric Correct are for stable flight.  So the 150 + 9 * 20 is about 6.5% of the 5100 total points.


It is extremely beneficial for learning for students to share with each other their work on projects.  Each project’s artifacts are shared between students in the respective Discussion Board for Project Sharing.  As the quadcopter projects build upon one another, projects are INTENTIONALLY shared so students can see and understand each other’s designs and use that additional knowledge in their later projects.  This course uses Canvas discussions to facilitate sharing where each module has a "Project Sharing" discussion for students to share their work with other students and collaborate with each other.  As a student, you decide what to share or not share with other students in your Project Sharing discussion post for each module.  It is easiest to just post the pdf you submitted to Canvas for grading, or you could submit anything else like a short video, but you do need to post something to get credit for sharing.  You need to share no earlier than one week after the due date and within a month after the due date.  As projects are graded before they are shared, credit is initially giving for sharing. After a month and definitely by the end of the semester, the credit for Sharing for students who do not share any material will be revised.  Please help each other!  For many students the material is totally new and the first time you learn new concepts is difficult so please help each other!

It facilitates learning to garner information from other sources to accomplish you own work. We are now at a point of time where you can get examples of work from the net, other students, AI like ChatGPT, and a myriad of other places all of which help you not only learn in this class but be more productive in your jobs.  JH just asks that you cite what you use from other sources and where you got it from. Never take any credit for work you did not do yourself.  Al Gore did not invent the internet.  As long as you give credit for where you get material, you can use any material you find anywhere to help you with your projects 

• Name

  Discussion Rubric

• Description

   

• Rubric Detail

   

  	Levels of Achievement
  Criteria	None	Some	Many	Most	All
  Relevance/Understanding Weight 40.00%	0.00 % No postings	40.00 % Postings contribute no new ideas, have minimal depth & detail. Rehashes or summarizes others. Unclear if student grasps topic. Mostly agrees or asks questions.	60.00 % Contributes few new ideas. Postings contain some rehashing or summary of other postings. Seems to grasp discussion topic at least superficially.	80.00 % Posts offer some depth and insight, and some new ideas. Shows an understanding of the discussion topic.	100.00 % Posts are consistently in- depth and detailed, with new, insightful ideas clearly connected to the topic. Demonstrates a command of the discussion topic.
  Cross-Section of Posting Weight 30.00%	0.00 % No postings	25.00 % Posts only to own thread.	50.00 % Submits two posts	75.00 % Submits three posts	100.00 % Submits four or more posts
  Timeliness Weight 30.00%	0.00 % No postings	25.00 % Posts one within due date of Module	50.00 % Posts two within due date of Module	75.00 % Posts three within due date of Module	100.00 % Posts all within due date of Module

All of the artifacts for a project that you submit for grading are submitted to Blackboard in Project Submisson as a SINGLE pdf file which will graded using the Rubric. 

Grading Policy

Assignments are due according to the dates posted in your Canvas course site. You may check these due dates in the Course Calendar or the Assignments in the corresponding modules. We will post grades one week after assignment due dates.

We generally do not directly grade spelling and grammar. However, egregious violations of the rules of the English language will be noted without comment. Consistently poor performance in either spelling or grammar is taken as an indication of poor written communication ability that may detract from your grade.

A grade of A indicates achievement of consistent excellence and distinction throughout the course—that is, conspicuous excellence in all aspects of assignments and discussion in every week.

A grade of B indicates work that meets all course requirements on a level appropriate for graduate academic work.

Score Range
Letter Grade
100-98= A+
97-94= A
93-90= A−
89-87= B+
86-83= B
82-80= B−
79-77= C+
76-73= C
72-70= C−
69-67= D+
66-63= D
<63= F

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. 

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. 
 
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.