About this course: Introduction to Embedded Systems Software and Development Environments is the first course of the upcoming Embedded Software Essentials Specialization. This course is focused on giving you real world coding experience and hands on project work with ARM based Microcontrollers. You will learn how to implement software configuration management and develop embedded software applications. Course assignments include creating a build system using the GNU Toolchain GCC, using Git version control, and developing software in Linux on a Virtual Machine. The course concludes with a project where you will create your own build system and firmware that can manipulate memory. Later courses of the Specialization will use hardware tools to program and debug microcontrollers with bare-metal firmware. Using a Texas Instruments MSP432 Development Kit, you will configure a variety of peripherals, write numerous programs, and see your work execute on your own embedded platform!

Who is this class for: This course is for motivated learners who have some background in computer engineering and software design and who want to break into the field of embedded systems design.

Created by: University of Colorado Boulder

Taught by: Alex Fosdick, Instructor
Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering

Level	Intermediate
Commitment	5-6 hours/week
Language	English
Hardware Req	This course doesn’t require any hardware. Check out FAQs for requirements in later courses.
How To Pass	Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
User Ratings	4.5 stars Average User Rating 4.5See what learners said

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Embedded System Development Components

Module 1 will introduce the learner to the components of your embedded system software development process. This module will be a quick overview for many topics with detailed analysis to follow in later modules and courses. We start with defining the hardware and software building blocks of Embedded Systems which will include a C-programming refresher. Next you will learn about the important tools a developer will need to use to help design, build and manage their designs. This includes development environments, version control and the hardware kits to install on. Learners will install and use a Virtual machine to complete Week 1 Application Assignment.

10 videos

Video: 0. Introduction to the Course
Video: 1. Introduction to the Module
Video: 2. Introduction to Embedded Systems
Video: 3. Embedded Software Engineering
Video: 4. C-Programming Review
Video: 5. Introduction to Software Configuration Management
Video: 6. C Standardization and Team Coding Standards
Video: 7. Development Environments Overview
Video: 8. Development Kits and Documentation
Video: 9. Version Control

Graded: Week 1 Quiz

Graded: Week 1 Application Assignment

WEEK 2

Compilation with GCC and GNU Make

Module 2 will introduce the learner to the software development build system. Most software engineers are very knowledgeable about their build system as we need them to translate our high-level software languages to our architecture specific implementations. There are some important platform and architecture concepts that are introduced in the build system to help enforce good software design techniques. Learners will create their own build systems and utilize build tools to analyze their embedded software implementations.

9 videos

Video: 1. Introduction to Build Systems using GNU Toolsets
Video: 2. Compiling and Invoking GCC
Video: 3. Preprocessor Directives
Video: 4. Creating Header and Implementation Files
Video: 5. Linkers
Video: 6. Make
Video: 7. Makefiles Part 1
Video: 8. Makefiles Part 2
Video: 9. Other Useful GNU Bin Tools

Graded: Week 2 Quiz

Graded: Week 2 Application Assignment

WEEK 3

Memory Types, Segments and Management

Module 3 will begin to introduce important embedded concepts like the memory systems in their design. Learners will understand how the software to hardware mapping occurs for their designs including differentiating between your program code and your program data. Memory systems have many platform and architecture dependencies, and you will begin to learn about some of the fundamental concepts a software engineer needs to know to utilize all parts of an embedded system’s memory.

8 videos, 2 readings

Video: 1. Introduction to Memory Organization
Video: 2. Memory Architectures
Video: 3. Memory Segments
Video: 4. Data Memory
Video: 5. Special Keywords (Const, Extern & Static)
Video: 6. The Stack
Video: 7. The Heap
Video: 8. Code Memory
Reading: Programming Assignment Instructions
Reading: Programming Assignment Quiz Solution

Graded: Week 3 Quiz

Graded: Programming Assignment Quiz

WEEK 4

Course 1 Final Assessment

During this week you are to going to combine what you have learned in modules 1-3 to write some memory manipulation software, incorporate into your build system and then run some test functions. At the end of the assignment you will perform a detailed code review of other learners’ software. Reviewing other learners code is very important for both your growth of software design but also for the coder to gain valuable feedback. Professional software engineering regularly go through software reviews when developing code.

1 reading

Reading: Purchasing Hardware for Course 2

Graded: Expanded Build System and Memory

FAQs

How It Works

Coursework

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Creators

University of Colorado Boulder

CU-Boulder is a dynamic community of scholars and learners on one of the most spectacular college campuses in the country. As one of 34 U.S. public institutions in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), we have a proud tradition of academic excellence, with five Nobel laureates and more than 50 members of prestigious academic academies.

Pricing

	Audit	Purchase Course
Access to course materials	Available	Available
Access to graded materials	Not available	Available
Receive a final grade	Not available	Available
Earn a shareable Course Certificate	Not available	Available

Ratings and Reviews

Rated 4.5 out of 5 of 27 ratings

As a newly offered course, and first in the series, this course was incredibly well produced, and FORCED me to learn the subjects. The quizzes and homework were difficult, and resistant to gaming, which meant that I took most quizzes more than 3 times. Time commitment was much more than expected, but it left me with skills that I am now proud to have. I feel like a have a great working knowledge of memory, a concept that previously eluded me. Also, extensive use of the gcc tool chain throughout the course will pay off in the future. Kudos to Alex and the team that put this course together. I am very happy with this course!

Good classes and very good professor (Congratulations Alex!). This course teaches the basis of the embedded systems such as types of memory, build systems, review of basics fundamentals (C programming, git, caracteristics of microcontrollers) and, at the end, a final project which put all this concepts together.

I'm looking forward to the next course.

Cheers!

Good course ! Lot of information shared. It has the quality like a good university course has.

Good one

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