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The UMT-1 provides a hardware platform to teach microcontroller programming and to program chips for use in other projects. It is designed for practical classroom/laboratory use. Students learn a variety of microcontrollers to better gain a feel for generic concepts without sole reliance on a single semiconductor manufacturer's architecture.

• Supports four 8-bit flash microcontrollers:
• Freescale 68HC908JK3 (DIP-20) (Digikey MC68HC908JK3ECP)
• Silicon Laboratories C8051F330D (DIP-20) (Digikey 336-1263, Mouser 634-C8051F330-GP)
• ZiLOG Z8F0421 (DIP-20) (Digikey 269-3216, Mouser 692-Z8F0421PH020EC)
• Freescale 68HC908QT4 (mini DIP-8) (Digikey MC68HC908QT4CPE)
• Utilizes industry standard software supported by the respective microcontroller manufacturer:
• Observe/modify registers and memory locations
• Single-step code
• Breakpoints
• Download to microcontroller flash memory
• (The accompanying textbook teaches how to program the microcontrollers in assembly language, but the software provides for C programming as well.)
• Durable construction for student use and reuse:
• 8.5 x 11 inch size
• Circuit board is 0.125 inch thick!
• Almost all parts are socketed for easy repair/replacement -- parts list and vendor sources included
• Gold plated ZIF (zero insertion force) microcontroller sockets enhance contact reliability
• Input/Output hardware common to all microcontrollers:
• Eight 7-segment LED displays
• Eight individual LED's with output port jacks
• 16-button keypad (0-9, A-F)
• Four dipswitch inputs with input port jacks
• Audio amplifier with speaker
• RS-232 interface (DB-9)
• PS/2 keyboard interface
• Solderless prototype breadboard
• Provides regulated +5v and +3.3v, and unregulated +11v supplies
• PTC (automatically resettable) fuse
• Interface ports for each of the three microcontroller manufacturers' debug pods
• Common I/O interface subroutines provided for each microcontroller
• Powered by 9 VAC adapter

Students can learn the microcontroller subject matter in a formal class and lab setting, making use of the board's I/O hardware and interface software; and subsequently use the UMT-1 as a design and test platform to program microcontrollers for use as control elements in later project-based courses.

This is a two-semester undergraduate course in microcontrollers. Click for the Table of Contents and other preview material (pdf). Generic information on the 68HC908JK3, C8051F330D, Z8F0421, and 68HC908QT4 is provided along with excerpts from the manufacturer documentation sufficient for students to program these parts with no additional references required. Students begin with sample programs for each processor to get familiar with the architecture and programming language. Some of the hands-on assignments are:

• LED output
• Switch/LED shift register
• 25-96 digit Decimal Calculator (addition)
• Traffic Signal with State Transition Lookup Table
• External interrupts
• HH:MM:SS Clock (timer interrupt driven)
• Mini Terminal (serial interface)
• PWM Lamp Control
• Function Generator (using DAC output)
• Voltmeter (using ADC)
• Thermometer (using internal chip sensor)
• Data Sampling and Storage
• Keyboard Logger

The assignments are intended to cover basic assembly language programming for each microcontroller family; simple input/output port operations; interrupts; timers; asynchronous serial communication; digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversions; and flash programming.

I know that flash videos aren't supported by many systems nowadays -- I have to convert those shown below. However one student (Taj El-Khalili) provided these for the second semester with links in this document.

• Assignment 4b: 8051 Traffic Signal. Jesse Grodman (Fall 2011) was simultaneously taking an FPGA class. So he configured one of the Xilinx boards as an I/O expander for the UMT-1 uP board and simulated a big intersection with various turn signals.
  
  
• Assignment 7c: Timer interrupt driven clock on 68HC908JK3. This student pair (Rob Keleher/Charles Pao, 2010) accepted the challenge of having their clock mimic the university's clock tower: it chimes on the quarter-hour and bongs out the hour.
• Assignment 8: Miniterminal on 68HC908JK3 (software UART). Jay Han (2011) demonstrates sending from a PC to the microcontroller trainer (his program is bidirectional, but he doesn't show sending from the trainer to the PC).
• Assignment 10t: Chip thermometer on C8051F330D. Adam Gross (2012) demonstrates his program that displays degrees F and C using a hair dryer and freeze spray.
• Assignment 10v: Voltmeter on 68HC908JK3 (analog to digital converter usage). Jay Han (2011) demonstrates his voltmeter program. It computes the average DC and AC voltages.
• Assignment 11r: PS/2 keyboard receiver on 68HC908JK3. Jay Han (2011) demonstrates his program which displays hexadecimal codes sent by a PC keyboard.
• Assignment 11r + 11t: PS/2 keyboard receiver and transmitter on 68HC908JK3. Greg Vorsanger and Steven Moran (2011) demonstrate their two programs which provide a PS/2 interface: 11r displays hexadecimal codes sent by a PC keyboard and 11t transmits those codes as if the uP is a keyboard. In this video the transmitter program sends to the receiver program to demonstrate.

The 68HC908JK3 interface is either P&E Microcomputer Systems' USB-ML-MON08 (USB, shown in photo) or MON08 Multilink (parallel port version). The software is their ICS08JLZ Development Kit.

The C8051F330D interface is Silicon Laboratories' C8051F330DK Development Kit. Previous kits use a serial port; now shipping with a USB interface instead. The IDE v1.9 software is included with the kit. Under their University Program, the kit can be purchased at a 50% discount. (Digikey part numbers 336-1068, 336-1264; Mouser part number 634-C8051F330DK.)

The Z8F0421 interface is Zilog's Z8F08200100KIT Development Kit. It uses a serial port. The ZDS II v4.9.5 software is included with the kit. (Digikey part numbers 269-3183, 269-4630; Mouser part number 692-Z8F08200100KIT.)

The 68HC908QT4 interface is either P&E Microcomputer Systems' USB-ML-MON08 (USB) or MON08 Multilink (parallel port version, shown in photo). The software is their ICS08QTQYZ Development Kit.