Educational Resources
We believe that project-based learning is an effective teaching method that
engages students in the material to be taught and provides valuable
technical skills.
Click Here to Download Information on Syscomp Courseware
In this section of the web page, we show some examples of projects and
support materials that were used to support Project-Based Learning in the
Electrical Engineering department of Ryerson University.
Index
EEBOT: Microprocessor Systems Robot
Engineering students are strongly motivated when they create an engineering
project that is a significant, recognizeable achievement. The lab for the
Ryerson 'Introduction to Microprocessors' course originally consisted of a
series of unrelated programming and hardware interfacing assignments. We
revised the lab so that the students provided software components for a
maze-solving mobile robot. Students were provided with the eebot hardware
and required to demonstrate programs of increasing complexity up to the maze
solution lab project. The eebot is a small mobile robot intended for learning exercises in robotics, artificial intelligence and microprocessor programming. It is based on the MPP Microcomputer Kit.
Student competence in assembly language program improved noticeably after
the introduction of this project. 
Electronic Prototyping Construction Techniques
It is a common situation that an electronic circuit is needed for a student project, to demonstrate a concept, to validate a simulation or for a specific application. Many engineering students have not been exposed to a construction technique
for electronic circuits. This paper shows some techniques for prototype
construction, with an emphasis on methods that do not require a commercial
printed circuit board. Download PDF (13MB)
LED Exercises
This project was developed for the Discover Engineering Summer Camp
to introduce high-school students to electronics. It would be suitable for
Girl Guides/Boy Scouts or a high-school electronics project. Students do
veraious exercises with light-emitting diodes and then build an
LED-sculpture. (For unknown reasons, the title page is page 4 of
this document.)
Download PDF (500k)
Mechbot Mark I
Mechbot Mk I was conceived as a lab project for mechanical
engineering students, to teach basic concepts of circuitry, analog devices
(op-amps and transistor switches) and small DC motors. Students steered
their robot through a maze, using a remote-control television link.
Download PDF (520k)
Mechbot Mark II
The second version of Mechbot is an autonomously operating robot designed to
participate in robot sumo-wrestling contents, featherweight class. Analog
circuitry detects the ring edge and drives the robot to remain inside the
ring. Addition analog circuits guide the robot to detect and engage it's
opponent and modulate motor power to push the opponent out of the ring.
The notes describe how to construct and debug the robot in stages until the
robot is fully functional.
Mechbot was very successful in engaging the interest of mechanical
engineering students and in particular showing how to construct and debug
analog circuitry.
Download PDF (350k)
Weather Station
The weather station project was the basis for a seniour level EE lab in
instrumentation. Students used a microprocessor kit (the Syscomp MPP
Board) as the control unit for various analog sensing devices - temperature,
humidity, air pressure and wind speed. The paper contains technical details
on the design of a suitable control program and technical background on each
of the sensors.
Students consistently rated this lab project as extremely valuable
preparation for their fourth-year thesis project.
Download PDF (1.4M)
ESP: Extremely Simple Processor
The ESP is an extremely simple but complete microcoded computing unit.
Inspired by the Waterloo University WEE computer, it includes an
arithmetic-logic unit, 2 microcode EPROMS and a third EPROM for the assembly
language program.
Microcode and computer architecture are inherently challenging topics. The
ESP was used in an introductory course to digital devices as a hands-on
device to explain the fundamental structure of a computing device.
Download PDF (210k)
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