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Lab 1: Building a Burglar Alarm System

Microcontrollers are elements that fall between electronic hardware and software. They are computers in that they are programmed using algorithmic languages, but they are hardware in that they are installed by being wired into the system with all of the other electronic components. In the first project, we take our first step into the hardware domain by interfacing our first few electronic components: LED’s, pushbuttons, seven-segment displays, LCD display, etc., and initiating interaction with our microcontroller. By completing these exercises, we can then integrate these devices to build a burglar alarm system

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The physical world remains fundamentally analog while the computer is primarily a digital device. Hence, conversion between analog and digital domains, appropriately termed Analog to Digital Conversion (ADC) and Digital to Analog Conversion (DAC), is essential to permit operation by computers on the physical world, and this second project focuses primarily on such conversions. For example, sensors typically output an analog signal (voltage or resistance) proportional to the quantity being measured; and actuator outputs are designed to be proportional to analog control signals (voltage/current), which must be provided by the computer. To motivate and understand this process, we will be implementing the following “products”: a Digital Ohmmeter to measure resistance; a Digital Voltmeter to measure voltages; and an R-2R ladder based Digital-to-Analog Converter (R2RDAC).