Academic Year: 2024/25

Assessment Introduction: 

This Assessment Pack consists of a detailed assignment brief, guidance on what you need to prepare, and information on how class sessions support your ability to complete successfully. You’ll also find information on this page to guide you on how, where, and when to submit. If you need additional support, please make a note of the services detailed in this document.

How, when, and where to submit:

The deadline for this assessment is 21^st  March 2025 at 23.59 via the submission zone found the EL1242 Blackboard area - Please note that this is the final time you can submit – not the time to submit!

If your work is submitted via the Turnitin link on Blackboard, the link will be visible to you on: 12^th December 2024

Feedback will be provided by: 26^th April 2025

You should aim to submit your assessment in advance of the deadline.

Note: If you have any valid mitigating circumstances that mean you cannot meet an assessment submission deadline and you wish to request an extension, you will need to apply online, via MyUCLan with your evidence prior to the deadline. Further information on Mitigating Circumstances via this link.

We wish you all success in completing your assessment. Read this guidance carefully, and any questions, please discuss with your Module Leader or module team.

Additional Support available:

All links are available through the online Student Hub

1. Academic support for this assessment will be provided by contacting Zengdi Bao or Xinliang Chen

2. Our Library resources link can be found in the library area of the Student Hub or via your subject librarian at [email protected].

3. Support with your academic skills development (academic writing, critical thinking and referencing) is available through WISER on the Study Skills section of the Student Hub.

4. For help with Turnitin, see Blackboard and Turnitin Support on the Student Hub

5. If you have a disability, specific learning difficulty, long-term health or mental health condition, and not yet advised us, or would like to review your support, Inclusive Support can assist with reasonable adjustments and support. To find out more, you can visit the Inclusive Support page of the Student Hub.

6. For mental health and wellbeing support, please complete our online referral form, or email [email protected]. You can also call 01772 893020, attend a drop-in, or visit our UCLan Wellbeing Service  Student Hub pages for more information.

7. For any other support query, please contact Student Support via [email protected].

8. For consideration of Academic Integrity, please refer to detailed guidelines in our policy document . All assessed work should be genuinely your own work, and all resources fully cited.  

9. For this assignment, you are not permitted to use any category of AI tools.

Preparing for your assignment.

Ensure that you fully understand the requirements for the assessment and what you are expected to complete. The assignment will be introduced in the lecture session where you can ask any questions, you can also ask for clarification by contacting the module team.

The following module learning outcomes will be assessed in this assignment:

· Explain the operation of a basic microprocessor system, relating the description to the architecture of the processor.

· Interpret assembly language software used in the processor based system.

Please read over the guide to writing a technical document https://www.theiet.org/media/5182/technical-report-writing.pdf and ensure that you fully understand the requirements of the assessment. There will be a lecture session on the assignment and writing a technical document.

Ensure that you research and read into the subject area before writing the report so that you have a good background understanding to the subject area.

Assignment Brief

1. Introduction

In this assessment, the student will demonstrate the ability to:

· Explain the operation of a basic microprocessor/microcontroller system, and interpret software used in such a system.

· Write and test simple programs using a modern programming language and an appropriate set of development tools or environment, including use of libraries, debug tools etc.

· Develop digital systems and programs for basic engineering applications.

· Design hardware and software to meet the specification for a simple processor-based system.

2. Assignment Brief

Smart home devices are a part of the larger concept of home automation. Large smart home systems utilize a main hub or controller to provide users with a central control for all of their devices. These devices can include lighting, heating and air conditioning and security system. The other key application of smart home is to provide assistance for disabled and elderly individuals. For example, they can be equipped with additional safety features which include sensors that monitor for medical emergencies such as falls or seizures. Smart home technology can provide users with more freedom and a higher quality of life.

Your task is to implement a primary smart home system which can automatically control the heating and lighting system, detect people’s falls, and provide readings of environmental parameters, e.g. temperature, ambient light levels.

You will use the Nucleo STM32L476RG ARM board and specially made sensor board, an application shield, shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Nucleo STM32L476RG ARM board and the specially made sensor board. 

3. Requirements

Specific requirements of the systems are as follows:

· Task 1: Automatic heating control. This is about a design of a thermostat. The state of the thermostat controller is represented by a servo. When the temperature is greater than or equal to 25oC, the servo should be at a position of 0o degree, which means the controller is ‘off’. When the temperature is below 25oC, the

servo should be at a position of 135o degree, which means the thermostat controller is ‘on’.

· Task 2: Automatic lighting control. Use the four red leds as lighting devices. There are five required levels of lighting, 1, 2, 3, 4 and off. The lighting level is controlled by the lightness/darkness detected by the LDR sensor, for example when it is very light, all the leds will be off, and when it is very dark all the four leds will be on. All the 5 levels of lighting will be corresponded to the evenly distributed ‘ReadIn’ value from the LDR.

· Task 3: Detecting falls. Use the 3 axis (X, Y, Z) accelerometer to detect fall and the three-colour led to represent an alarm. Assume that when people fall, the value of acceleration is greater than 1.8g or less than-1.8g in any direction of X, Y and Z. When a fall happens, light up the three-colour leds in turn and each colour duration time is 0.2s.

· Task 4: Environmental parameter readings. Use the blue User Button and switches to control the content of readings. When the blue user button is pressed, and the switch position is ‘0001’, display the temperature on the PC screen through the on board serial port. When the blue user button is pressed, and the switch position is ‘0010’, display the relative ambient light levels with row of ‘*’ on the PC screen (length determined by brightness). When the blue user button is pressed, and the switch position is ‘0100’, display the values of acceleration of 3 directions on the PC screen. When the blue user button is pressed, and the switch position is ‘1000’, display the output voltage value from the potentiometer. When the switch value is others, display a message of ‘invalid switch value’ on the PC screen. The summary of readings is as Table 1 below,

Table 1: Summary of environmental parameter readings

4. Details of devices on the specially designed shield.

The details about the pin names, connections of devices are listed in Table 3.

Table 2: Details of devices on the specially designed shield.

5. Development Report

Part of your submission is a technical report about the development of the monitoring devices. Within the report ensure that you cover the following aspects:

· Researched background into microcontollers.

· Researched background into sensors, actuators and other components used in the tasks required.

· Details of design analysis for all the tasks.

· Individual testing on implemented tasks.

· Appropriate images and references of the development.

· Conclusions.

Word limit: A maximum of 1000 words (see notes below for further information).

Technical Report Writing

To complete the report, you will have to thoroughly research the area using reliable sources and precisely reference where your information and statements are from. The aim of the report is to be clear, concise and convey technical information to the reader, note that the reader is familiar and experienced in the area. Ensure that you write your report for this audience.

A guide on writing a technical document can be found at the following (this will also be uploaded to blackboard):

https://www.theiet.org/media/5182/technical-report-writing.pdf

Please read over the above document to ensure that you are clear on what a technical report is and know what you are required to complete, note the above is a guide not an explicit standard you will be required to ensure that your technical report contains the relevant information presented correctly for the reader.

Ensure that you research and read into the subject area before writing the report so that you have a good background understanding to the subject area. You will need to provide a short report, which shows the calculation of each tasks in Marking Criteria and Weighting section below with an appropriate assumption, description and comments, no longer than 1,000 words. You should use the guideline below to structure your report. For the final reporting submission, make sure that each page is marked with the date of completion, the page number, and the total number of pages submitted.  Make sure that the front page of your submission has this information displayed prominently along with the module name and number and assignment title. Your work must be referenced using Harvard Referencing system available here: https://v3.pebblepad.co.uk/v3portfolio/uclan/Asset/View/Gm3mmGk6sM3RgHZnjGfh7mm6pM.

Further information to support your development will be available to view on assignment briefing session and Blackboard. 

Notes on Wordcount and Referencing

For good marks and given the limited wordcount you should produce work that is: accurate; thorough; well-argued; clear; accurately referenced; relevant and written in correct (UK) English grammar and spelling. You may include figures and tables with short captions (25 words each) and a list of references without affecting the overall word count. Remember that you have limited words so ensure that you “stick to the point” and do not get into detail on superficial elements.

Ensure that you include references when discussing technical facts and statements on the technology used. You must reference all your sources of information. These should be cited in the appropriate part of the report and fully identified to meet the Harvard referencing standard in a list at the end. Website articles must be properly referenced to be considered as legitimate references.

Presentation of assignment work

Except where specifically stated in the assignment brief, assignment work submissions should be word-processed, in Microsoft Word 2016 format, with a footer comprising: your module code; date; page number.

The following module learning outcomes will be assessed in this assignment:

· Explain the operation of a basic microprocessor system, relating the description to the architecture of the processor.

· Interpret assembly language software used in the processor based system. 

Marking Criteria and Weighting

It is recognised that not everyone will be able to meet all of the specifications given overleaf, so the assessment scheme is designed to measure how much of the specification you can meet. You will be required to write a short evaluative report and give a demonstration of your system by taking a 20 second selfie video. All the program with inline comments you made should be included in the report as an appendix (not part of page count). Marks will be awarded as follows in Table 2.

Your submission will be marked in accordance with the following marking scheme:

Table 3: Summary of awarded marks.