Microprocessors in mechanical engineering education are ready to move beyond personal computer based control and data acquisition to mechatronics: a blend of mechanical design and electronics which stresses breadboard design of microprocessors and support chips. The logical niche for mechanical engineers is the microcontroller or microcomputer-on-a-chip. These chips are the basis for modular control in product design: automobiles, appliances, cameras, etc. The purpose of this project is to establish a microcontroller laboratory concurrent with a required course on microprocessors. The present laboratory uses microprocessor board designs which concentrate on bus oriented wiring. Microcontrollers have memory and I/O onboard. Wiring problems are reduced to peripherals. This allows the additional time to teach computer assembly of microcontroller programs, to strengthen the peripheral designs but with microcontrollers, and to place more course emphasis on interfacing stepper and DC motors. The laboratory equipment would consist of twelve work stations. Each student would have a microcontroller development board to interface a personal computer for program assembly, software simulation, and program downloading to the microcontroller. Six oscilloscopes and three logic analyzers would provide for hardware and software debugging.
