The hardware laboratory is located in Sieg 327 and is managed by Christopher Morgan. There are fifteen workbenches in the lab. Twelve of these have a Pentium PC running PC running Windows NT. One is set up as a hardware prototyping and soldering station. The remaining two hold miscellaneous servers and PLD programming stations. There are Tektronix TLA 704 logic analyzers at most stations. Oscilloscopes, multimeters, and other tools or equipment will be made available upon request.
For our course, we will have StrongARM multimedia development boards, power supplies, and proto-boards available. In addition, we have a collection of Palm and WinCE personal digital assistants and their development environments.
In the first half of the course, you will be using the lab for lab assignments. Although there are scheduled lab hours these are not formal, you are generally free to do the lab assignments at your own convenience. Keep in mind that the TA will be in the lab during those times, however, and you will need to check in your lab assignments with the TA. There is another course sharing the lab with us this quarter, namely, CSE467. Thus, you will only have priority on the machines in lab during the scheduled lab hours for CSE477.
Most of the lab assignments are geared toward learning the StrongARM microcontroller software and debugging tools as well as tools for the PDAs. You will be obtaining this familiarity by experimenting with some existing programs for the microcontrollers in addition to writing your own. You will also learn how interface some simple sensors (sonar and compass) to the microcontroller. You will also experiment with user interface code on the Palm Pilot to control these sensors.
Each team of students will check out a DesignKit, a StrongARM multimedia development board, and an IBM WorkPad (a Palm Pilot clone) for the quarter. These kits and equipment will contain everything needed to complete the laboratory assignments (kits will be available for checkout - see below - during the second week of the quarter). Although you will be working in groups, each person is expected to fully understand all aspects of the laboratory assignments and project. All questions from the instructors and/or TA about the lab assignments and project should be answerable by either person. In the DesignKits will be a card for keeping track of extra project-specific items that you may need to check out during the quarter. You are personally responsible for all items that are checked out to you and you will be held accountable for them at the end of the quarter. Please make sure that you do not misplace them, leave them unattended, or damage them in any way.
In the second half of the quarter, you will use the lab to complete your projects. The TAs will be available for consultation during this period. Make sure to properly budget your time and avoid the crunch for bench space at the end of the quarter.
There will be absolutely no food or drink brought into the lab and you should refrain from activities that disrupt fellow students.
Smoking is strictly prohibited throughout the building and this especially includes the lab.
Please help us to keep the lab clean and neat with equipment, manuals, and tools in their proper place. If you are going to be gone from the lab for any length of time, please clear your working space so someone else will be able to work. Since other students have access to the lab, do not assume that you can safely use a workbench indefinitely. If for some reason you need to monopolize a bench or piece of quipment, make sure to leave a note explaining the situation with your name and a phone number where you can be reached. Each team will be provided with drawer space in the lab in which to store the kits and project materials.
The lab is there to be used by you and your fellow students. It is provided by the department to further your education and many resouces (time, energy, and dollars) have gone into making it what we feel is a first-class facility. Make sure you treat everything in the lab with respect---from your fellow students to the equipment and parts you will be using. Behave in a civilized manner and restrain your temper no matter how frustrating matter may get. Take care with the equipment and parts. Make good use of the limited bench and shelf space; it will pay off in the long run. Basically, be a good citizen.
You will be given access to the card key lock for the lab. The lock will keep track of when you enter the lab. Unauthorized access to the lab leads at best to inconvenience and at worst to theft and equipment loss. All of these harm you directly. The lab will be available for your use 24 hours a day. Only students registered for CSE477 or CSE467 are permitted to use the lab and the windows and doors should be locked at all times. We cannot guarantee that things you leave in the lab unattended will not be stolen. Unfortunately, there is a tradeoff between security and access. If you are all good citizens we should be able to have flexible access and a secure environment.
Remember that software piracy is a crime. If you have a need to duplicate some software at home for use related to this course, then see one of the course staff about how this might be arranged.
Christopher Morgan will be the person to whom you will give deposit checks and from whom you will obtain the kits, card-key access, and anything else you may need over the course of the quarter. Any problems with laboratory equipment and/or software should be immediately reported to him. Do not remove any equipment, documentation or tools from the room. Please see Chris if you need to check out a manual or anything else overnight. If you ever see anyone in the laboratory that you think does not belong there, inform Chris, a TA, or the instructor, immediately. If we are not available, call the University Police at 9-911. And remember do not let anyone into the lab no matter how hard they knock at the door.
To defray the cost of acquiring software, we will require a lab use fee of $25 from each of you. Make it payable to the University of Washington.
A deposit of $200 per person will also be required for the kits each team will be using. Make a separate check payable to the University of Washington. This check will be returned to you at the end of the quarter when the kits are returned. If the kits are not returned within 5 days after the end of the course, you will not receive a grade for the course and we will cash the check. Note that we need a check from each individual, not groups.
Parts for the projects will be acquired by Chris Morgan directly. You will work with him to ensure that this process is done smoothly and that the parts will arrive in time. (Warning: It can take several weeks to get delivery, so determine early what you will be needing.) We will purchase all project parts for you and expect them to be returned at the end of the quarter. If you desire to keep your project after the end of the course, you need to work out an arragement with Chris to reimburse for the cost we will incur in replacing the parts.
We expect all equipment and parts to be returned in the same condition as they were provided to you. You will be held responsible for the cost of replacing parts that you damage or lose through negligence.