Project description:
We chose to construct a digital oscilloscope as our final project for this course.  The skills involved in this project proved a natural extension of some of the topics we covered in class.  We were able to learn more about the UART, AD sampling, memory indexing, keypad usage and many other topics we touched on earlier. Our Oscilloscope samples signals on a range of 0-4 V and displays them through HyperTerminal  using VT 100 codes.  The user, through the keypad, can select time per division calibrations ranging from .1sec to 2ms. The waveform is displayed along the user defined grid and peak-to-peak voltage and average voltage are printed out.
LM358

Link: Digital Oscilloscope, AT90S8535

Project description:
For our final project, we decided to create a digital voice recorder. Our device allows a user to record his voice at a user specified frequency and bit resolution. The device can hold up to 8 different tracks which the user can select to delete or play. The user also specifies the playback frequency so a “chipmunk” or “slo-mo” effect can be achieved.
84256A 32K x 8 SRAM
LM386 Audio Amplifier

Link: The 8-Trak Sampler, AT90S8515 and AT90S8555

Project description:
In today’s world of e-commerce and widespread credit card use, credit card storefront terminals have become common to almost all the stores, and thus big business. They are what allows us to use our credit cards in almost any store in the country. RSA public key encryption has become an industry standard because to crack it, the thief has to factor a number with unknown factorization, and that number can be chosen large enough so that time to factor it would be overwhelmingly large even on the fastest computers. For the final project, we designed a credit card transaction system with RSA encryption that takes credit card input from the terminal and sends it to the server controller, which buffers it, and outputs it to the server PC monitor when necessary or requested. While our system is not as secure as industry strength 56 or 128 bit encryption, because we are limited by the math we can do on this server, it does demonstrate all the important properties and functionality of RSA encryption, and can be scaled up if we were to migrate to a more powerful CPU.

Link: Secure RSA Credit Card Transaction System, AT90S4414

Project description:
Yet others go out of their way to develop something ‘cool’ and ‘fun’. Luke and I decided that we wanted to be in this second category, because developing something that’s ‘cool’ would also be fun to do. So in deciding what to design we tried to think of something that would catch the attention of the people in the lab. The easiest way of doing this is to create something that would make noise or play music so everyone in the lab could enjoy it. Realizing this would be the best way to go, we decided to create a synthesizer that could record and playback notes, ‘teach’ the user how to play a simple melody, and also play some prerecorded tunes. After all, don’t you think being remembered as the group that played back the Imperial March theme from Star Wars is cooler than a paper tape reader?
DAC0808
LM353
Link: Sine Wave Synthesizer

Project description:
Blackjack has been an icon in the history of gambling.  This simple card game has the power to change a person completely.  We are therefore inspired by the blackjack, and decided to build our own LCD version of it.
Optrex DMC 20434
Link: LCD Blackjack, AT90S8535

Project description:
We decided that an answering machine was interesting because it involved interfacing many analog parts, a reasonable amount of coding, and would leave us with a finished product that actually does something. The answering machine is one of few everyday microcontroller utilities that can be implemented fairly easily and we are really happy with our final product.  We also realize that we share a common fear of analog circuitry and felt this would force us to gain working knowledge of this material.

Link: Digital Answering Machine, AT90LS8535

Project description:
For our final project, we used an Atmel AT90S8535 microprocessor to create a hangman game. The letters are displayed on a 16-character LCD, and are input (”guessed”) using a 16-button keypad. The 8 LED’s on the Atmel development board are used as our “hanging man” - one lights up for each wrong guess. We also attached a speaker to our game which adds sounds to our game.

Link: Hangman, AT90S8535 

Project description:
The goal of this project is to design an algorithm for a real-time digital guitar tuner and implement it using an Atmel AT90S8535 microcontroller. Each of the six strings of a guitar has a unique fundamental frequency, and our goal is to measure this frequency and compare it to the correct frequency. This project combines digital filter design, analog amplifier design, and several data analysis techniques.
LM741
Link: Design of a Real-Time Digital Guitar Tuner, AT90S8535

Project description:
One of the newest and fastest growing additions to the digital age in the 1990s has been the handheld personal computer. Given a little flash memory and a good LCD, anything is possible and commercial products like the 3Com PalmPilotâ and IBM Workpadâ are flourishing. But as these products expand their functionality so does their price. Last year, a more downscaled device Frankin Rexâ card sold very well because it offered a small portable data unit at a minimal cost. In fact, it only served as a data display device for the data that was transferred from the PC, and it functions using just a few buttons rather than using a more expensive LCD that can accept input using a pen-like device which is detected when pushed on the screen. This year they have improved the card in the Rex Proâ version to take input using additional buttons to scroll through alphanumeric characters. In this project we attempted to produce a similarly functioning device using an Atmel AT90S8535 microcontroller, its Atmel evaluation board, and an Optrex 4×20 LCD. In addition, we also attempted to include an infrared communication interface on the prototypes which is used for downloading/uploading data to the PC, as well as for messaging between two devices, which is only a recent addition to the high-end handhelds like the 3Com Palm III. This IR message transfer ability has been especially appreciated by users who enjoy not having to physically connect the devices to their PC hardware (in a PCMCIA slot for example), and corporate users have found it useful as a way to silently communicate across a room or even just across the table at a boring meeting.

Link: CU Organizer, AT90S8535

Project description:
The Tompkins Instrument 3PO is a 32-function scientific calculator. It rivals the competitions with its blazing fast 4-megahertz Atmel 8515 Microcontroller based design. The TI 3PO includes a series of function useful in scientific computations such as trigonometric functions, base conversions, logarithmic functions, logical operators, inequality functions, floor and ceiling, and exponentiation. The main purpose was to apply the mathematical concepts, theories and algorithms that Cornell University has insisted will be useful to us. Another reason is to get a good feel for how a real calculator might work. This project proved to be both challenging and interesting.

Link: The Tompkins Instrument 3P0, AT90S8515

Project description:
A universal remote is a common everyday household appliance. Used to do everything from TV/Video/Cable to ceiling fan control, this project is a extremely versatile product. We planned to have a 32-button remote that could replicate the IR characteristics of a VCR & TV remote control.

Link: Universal remote, AT8535

Project description:
As technology develops, computers are making people’s lives progressively easier and safer. Someday they will be able to drive automobiles, resulting in reduced deaths and accidents. We decided to make a prototype of a self controlled car. We started with a Hot Shot II radio control car and stripped out the radio receiver. Then we gained complete control over the drive and steering servos, allowing complete control of the car via the Atmel AVR8515 micro-controller.
Novak TEMPFET 60Hz PWM speed controller
LF353N
Infrared LED
Infrared phototransistor
Link: Autonomous Vehicle, AT8515

Project description:
Spectrum analyzers are used to output the frequency content of an arbitrary input signal. It was our opinion that such a system could be implemented on a microcontroller, almost fully in software.  Doing this, however, necessitated some knowledge of standard Digital Signal Processing techniques, namely sampling, analog-to-digital conversion and most importantly constructing digital filters. We believed that a spectrum analyzer could be fully described by providing and/or implementing three main components: sampling & A/D conversion, filtering and output.
LM 741

Link: Spectrum analyzer, AT90S8535

Project description:
For the final project, we designed a Microcontroller-driven Lego Vehicle (MLV). This project makes use of the ATMEL AT90S8535 8-bit RISC microcontroller unit. The microcontroller basically functions to determine the user input through button pushes, drive the DC and stepper motors to provide motion to the MLV as well as to set the speed of the vehicle through the use of the onboard Analog-to-Digital converter.
TIP102

Link: Microcontroller-driven Lego Vehicle (MLV), AT90S8535

Project description:
Our final project code calls for the implementation of an amusement game often bannered as “Test-Your-Strength” or less accurately (but more commonly) known as “Whack-a-Mole.” Our machine is in essence a miniturized version of what can be found in most theme parks across the world. Its construction involves a spring load plastic cap to act as a surface for contact, a wooden mallet which the player uses to hit the plastic cap, and most importantly, a device, called an accelerometer, to measure the shock forces created by the impact of the mallet and the cap surface. A potential player would proceed to hit the plastic cap with the mallet provided, and depending on the level of force registered by the accelerator, a winning or losing result will be annouced visually through a liquid crystal display and light emitting diodes, as well as musically through the use of a speaker.
74HCT138
ADXL150AQC

Link: Whack-A-Cap: miniature representation of a popular amusement game, AT8535