Course Title: Advanced Digital Design 1

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Advanced Digital Design 1

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
EEET2162	City Campus	Undergraduate	125H Electrical & Computer Engineering	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2006, Sem 2 2006, Sem 1 2007, Sem 1 2008, Sem 1 2009, Sem 1 2010, Sem 1 2011, Sem 1 2012, Sem 1 2013, Sem 1 2014, Sem 1 2016
EEET2162	City Campus	Undergraduate	172H School of Engineering	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2018, Sem 1 2019, Sem 1 2020, Sem 1 2021, Sem 1 2022, Sem 1 2023, Sem 1 2024
EEET2475	RMIT University Vietnam	Undergraduate	172H School of Engineering	Face-to-Face	Viet1 2019, Viet1 2020, Viet2 2020, Viet1 2021, Viet1 2023, Viet1 2024

Course Coordinator: Dr Glenn Matthews

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 2091

Course Coordinator Email: glenn.matthews@rmit.edu.au

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Required Prior Study:

You should have satisfactorily completed Introduction to Embedded Systems (EEET2256) or other equivalent studies before you commence this course.

It is also recommended that you have successfully completed Embedded System Design and Implementation (EEET2096) / Computer Architecture and Organisation (EEET2261), or equivalent studies.

To successfully complete this course, you should have the ability to manipulate basic Boolean logic and to have an introductory level knowledge of microprocessor-based systems.

This course will require you to design, implement, test and debug Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) Hardware Description Languages. This course will guide you through the fundamentals of the Verilog (hardware) and Tcl (scripting) programming languages and as such experience in C++ development (or another high-level language) is an advantage.

Course Description

Programmable logic and re-configurable hardware is extensively used for the design of high-performance embedded electronic systems. These devices can be found in a wide array of complex systems such as mobile telephones to special purpose high-performance computing engines. Programmable devices offer a combination of flexibility and processing power that easily surpasses general purpose computing devices and challenges even dedicated architectures such as Digital Signal Processors (DSPs). Reconfigurable hardware also offers a time to market advantage, design integration, are easy to design with and can be reprogrammed time and time again even in the field to upgrade overall system functionality. Furthermore, with the advent of highly-integrated System-on-Chip (SoC) and FPGA architectures, there is a growing need to fully comprehend how to take advantage of these coupled systems for the next-generation of high-performance computing applications.

It is therefore imperative that graduates of communications, electronics and computer systems have the opportunity to gain experience in this powerful design and implementation methodology. This course introduces design methods and tools for programmable logic systems, with a particular focus on Verilog, architectures and system level design.

Please note that if you take this course for a bachelor honours program, your overall mark in this course will be one of the course marks that will be used to calculate the weighted average mark (WAM) that will determine your award level. (This applies to students who commence enrolment in a bachelor honours program from 1 January 2016 onwards. See the WAM information web page for more.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course contributes to the following program learning outcomes:

1.3 In-depth understanding of specialist bodies of knowledge within the engineering discipline.

2.1 Application of established engineering methods to complex engineering problem solving.

2.2 Fluent application of engineering techniques, tools and resources.

2.3 Application of systematic engineering synthesis and design processes.

2.4 Application of systematic approaches to the conduct and management of engineering projects.

3.2 Effective oral and written communication in professional and lay domains.

On completion of this course you should be able to (CLOs):

1. Comprehend and clearly interpret the role of programmable logic devices in the design of modern electronic systems.
2. Design moderately complex digital circuitry using programmable logic.
3. Effectively use a modern hardware description language (Verilog) and computer aided design tools to implement designs in programmable devices.
4. Systematically fault find (debug) moderately complex SoC hardware using a range of external tools such as oscilloscopes and logic analysers.
5. Describe the trends in the development of high-performance computing modules implemented in reconfigurable logic.

Overview of Learning Activities

Student Learning occurs through the following experiences and evaluation processes:

• Comprehensive review of recorded lectures where syllabus material will be presented and explained, and the subject will be illustrated with demonstrations and examples;
• Completion of lectorial questions and laboratory projects designed to give further practice in the application of theory and procedures, and to give feedback on student progress and understanding;
• Completion of written laboratory reports consisting of programming and other digital synthesis problems requiring an integrated understanding of the course topics;
• Private study, working through the course as presented in classes and learning materials;
• Practice at solving conceptual and hardware programming problems;
• Feedback will be provided throughout the semester in class and/or online discussions, through individual and group feedback on practical exercises and by individual consultation (where possible).

Overview of Learning Resources

You will be expected to use library and electronic resources (as well as any other appropriate resources) to engage in professional reading of relevant literature on FPGAs, SoC design and the Verilog Hardware Description Language.

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems.

Note that all specific class material, including a copy of the necessary design tools, will be made available at the beginning of the course.

Overview of Assessment

This course has no hurdle requirements.

At undergraduate level assessment in this course consists of the following components:

1. Laboratory work / project work
2. Practical Laboratory Assessment

You will be required to submit formal individual reports and comprehensive code solutions for each laboratory task. Feedback will be provided in the submitted report. Furthermore, during the laboratory sessions the tutor will provide further insight into your design and offer suggestions on how it could potentially be improved or expanded.

Assessment tasks 

Assessment Task 1: Laboratory Tasks
Weighting 45%
This assessment task supports CLOs 2, 3 & 4

Assessment Task 2: Laboratory Project – Complex System Design
Weighting 35%
This assessment supports CLOs 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5

Assessment Task 3: Practical Laboratory Assessment (Laboratory-based)
Weighting 20%
This assessment supports CLOs 2 & 3

The practical laboratory assessment will be a 2.5-hour design problem that is taken in a scheduled session.