COMPUTER (ece) Curriculum

What was expected of us for this project was to integrate an emitter/detector circuit to detect the black line, along with code to resolve the Thumbwheel to a digital value for verifying the ADC configuration. We were required to manually verify the ADC values as the vehicle transitioned from white to black and vice versa, while independently tracking the Thumbwheel. Additionally, the vehicle had to travel from inside a 36-inch diameter circle, stop when it detected the circle, and then turn approximately 90 degrees to detect and follow the black line.

What was expected of us was to establish serial communication between our Analog Discovery 2 (AD2) and the vehicle, following the pin layout for proper TX/RX connections. We were required to create at least six different 10-character messages, which should be transmitted from the AD2, received by the vehicle, and displayed on the system’s display. Additionally, when Button 1 is pressed, the vehicle should send the command back to the AD2 and move the command on the display, while Button 2 adjusts the baud rate, which is then displayed on the third line. The demo was to include the sending and receiving of all six commands at different baud rates, with changes in baud rate between transmissions, and potentially multiple transmissions at the same rate.

What was expected of us for this project was to navigate our car around a Wi-Fi-controlled course, stopping at eight numbered pads and sending a command to display “Arrived 0X” at each pad. After reaching pad 8, we had a 45-second window to issue a single command for the car to autonomously find and follow a black line, and navigate to a circle on the board. Once the car followed the line around the circle twice, we could issue a final command to stop the car, move it two feet away from the circle, and display a successful completion message. The demo also included confirming arrival at each pad with a TA, with bonus points awarded for completing the entire course on the first attempt.