Tentative Schedule

Resources on the Web (Clearinghouse)

Teacher:
 
  
Duane Shelton
Office: DS126
Phone: 410-617-2852

rdshelton63 a.t. yahoo.com This is the address for academic use.  

http://itri2.org/s/

Office Hours:
4 - 5:00PM MWF 
Others by appointment
 

Texts:
 
 

Logic and Computer Design Fundamentals, Mano and Kime, Prentice Hall (4rd Edition, 2007) Required Text.  

General Information:
http://www.prenhall.com/mano

Like many schools, we use this book because it covers elementary computer design, as well as the much more common topics on logic design.  This permits some knowledge of the whole computer hierarchy: circuit level, logic (gate) level, register transfer level, computer level.  (We also add assembler to hook into the various software levels.)  The nasty reviews at Amazon.com are mostly by some disappointed folks who tried using the book for self-study.  I'll try to provide the worked out examples that they yearned for.
Assembly Language Step-by-Step, Jeff Duntemann, Wiley (2nd Edition, 2000) Reference (Not Required)  A copy will be on reserve at the Loyola Library.  $32.50 from amazon.com..  Includes CD with sample programs, the open-source NASM assembler, and the NASAM-IDE integrated development environment.
http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471375233.html

This is the only recent book on assembler programming that I know of.  It is very well written, and even entertaining.  It uses the open-source NASM assembler.  It is, however, very thick and it is not feasible to cover it in the amount of time we have available.  I'll put a copy on reserve in the Loyola Library.

Grades:

Three tests        45%
Homework        10   (From Mano)
Labs                  15   (Hardware labs and ASM programs)
Final Exam         30

Total                100%

The tests will be closed book, except that you can prepare one sheet of notes for each test--both sides of a standard 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper..  Please use pencil on tests and erase mistakes.; one of my peeves is people who use ballpoints and try to cross out mistakes.  Computers will be turned off during tests.  You can use a pocket calculator that can convert between decimal, hex, and binary.

Homework and Labs:
This is a 4 semester hour course, not the usual 3 semester hour one.  The fourth hour is at 3PM on Fridays in DS121.  It will be used for lab work on computer hardware, physical experiments, some tests, and development of Intel 8086 assembler programs.    

You may work on homework with a classmate if you like, but each person should turn in the problem solutions separately.  I have tried to pick problems that have the solutions available, so that you can more easily find out how to get the right answer.  Test problems will be similar -- that's how I find out if you know how to work such problems.

I recommend that you work on labs with one or two classmates to make it easier and more fun.  Your team can turn in a single report, which describes what you did, including diagrams of circuits designed, listings of programs developed, outputs of hardware and programs, answers to any questions in the lab handout, etc. Everyone on the team should all sign the lab report.  Sometimes a person doesn't contribute much in such teams, but there will be questions on the tests to determine if everyone knows what the labs are about.

Report Format:

Assigned work should be turned in on hardcopy.  All assignments should have a cover sheet similar to this one::

To:             R. D. Shelton

From:           Your Name Printed and Signed (On lab reports all members of team should sign)

Subject:        CS371 Lab1 Use of Breadboards (or Homework 1, Chapter 1)

Date Due:       September 12, 2007

Date Submitted: September 13, 2007

It is not necessary to type your homework or to use graphics applications to draw diagrams.  Handwriting and pencil-and-paper sketches are fine. You can use a word processor if you wish, of course, and  illustrate your homework.  You can turn in the homework in class, slide it under my office door (DS126), or put it in my mailbox in DS125A.  Sorry, I do not accept homework by email, only paper.

Academic Honesty:
The student honor code requires a statement on this issue in course outlines. In this section, you are encouraged to work with your classmates on projects. You should try to do your own work, but there is no penalty on project grades for using the results of others; just acknowledge information from another source in your code comments or as citations to prior work.  The tests policy is the usual one: you should use only your own knowledge, with no help from a classmate.   I hope you'll enjoy the course.