Related Course/s:

A unit of study in the Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) and Bachelor of Science (Professional Software Development).

Aims & Objectives:

• Read and write assembly language programs for a simple microcomputer 
• Understand the hardware components of a computer and the functions they perform
• Understand the overall behaviour of compilers, assemblers, linkers and interpreters
• Understand some trade offs between hardware and software that occur in computer system design

Teaching Methods:

Lectures (24 hrs), Tutorials (labs) (12 hrs)

Assessment:

Tests, Labs, Examination

Content:

• Assembly language programming
• An introduction to program timing considerations and interrupts
• Serial and parallel input /output
• Memory types and organisation
• Basic computer organisation: Von Neumann and Harvard architectures
• The internals of a microcomputer using a RISC CPU
• An introduction to interfacing to the analogue world
• A block diagram of a complete CPU
• An introduction to data storage technologies

Reading Materials:

Predko, M, Programming and Customizing PICmicro MCU microcontrollers, McGraw-Hill, 2002.
Hamacher, C, Vranesic, Z & Zaky, S, Computer Organization, 5th edn, McGraw-Hill, 2002.