ECE 477 DESIGN REVIEW TEAM 10 
FALL 2009
OUTLINE
Project overview
 Project-specific success criteria
 Block diagram
 Component selection rationale
 Packaging design
 Schematic and theory of operation
 PCB layout
 Software design/development status
 Project completion timeline
 Questions / discussion

PROJECT OVERVIEW
Create a platform that will aid newcomers in
learning the basics of digital design
 Run games such as Dance Dance Revolution
and generate input signals to a student made
digital scoring circuit
 Student circuit will compare input signals to a
device such as a dance pad, and will then
provide feedback to the system so that the
score can be calculated.

PROJECT-SPECIFIC SUCCESS CRITERIA





An ability to generate inputs to a digital scoring circuit that a
student constructs and read the output from that circuit
An ability to display custom, game play configurable graphics
on an external monitor
An ability to read and interpret files, stored in the system, that
specify graphical and audio game play features
An ability to control micro controller I/O functionality from the
embedded host
An ability to allow definition of multi-player games
BLOCK DIAGRAM
COMPONENT SELECTION RATIONALE

Hardware Requirements for Game Host
 Comparable
Game: Frets on Fire
 Guitar
Hero Adaptation
 600 MHz, 128 Mb RAM minimum
 Comparable
Game: Dance Dance Revolution by
Konami
 400
MHz, 32 Mb RAM minimum
COMPONENT SELECTION RATIONALE

Intel Atom N270
 Exceeds
minimum requirements for comparable
games
 Integrated graphics accelerator
 x86 architecture
 Allows
java portability
 Eases development
COMPONENT SELECTION RATIONALE

PIC 18F4455
 48
MHz, 24k Flash, 2k RAM
 Currently 6 pins of 40 not used

Hardware Requirements for Micro Controller
 USB
connectivity
 RS232 connectivity
 20 general purpose I/O pins
PACKAGING DESIGN
PACKAGING DESIGN
SCHEMATIC/THEORY OF OPERATION
SCHEMATIC/THEORY OF OPERATION
SCHEMATIC/THEORY OF OPERATION
SCHEMATIC/THEORY OF OPERATION
SCHEMATIC/THEORY OF OPERATION
SCHEMATIC/THEORY OF OPERATION
SCHEMATIC/THEORY OF OPERATION
PCB LAYOUT - OVERVIEW
PCB LAYOUT - ACTUAL
PCB LAYOUT – POWER (LVR)
PCB LAYOUT - uCONTROLLER
PCB LAYOUT – uCONTROLLER HEADERS
PCB LAYOUT – LED/LOGIC IO
PCB LAYOUT – BREADBOARD
PCB LAYOUT – CONSIDERATIONS
Specified routing to use at most 45 degree
corners
 Accounted for the calculated power traces of
width 30
 Boosted trace spacing margins to 9
 Used min trace size of 12, recommend trace
sizes of 15, max of 20

PCB LAYOUT – PRELIMINARY FOOTPRINT CHECK
SOFTWARE DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT
STATUS
EDLET JAVA Game
• Based on Sun Java 1.6 JDK
• Lightweight Java Game Library [LWGL]
• Java Opengl Game Engine [JOGL]
SOFTWARE DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT
STATUS
Completed Status
• Started gathering sprites / music for game
• Started creating ‘game time data’ recorder
Todo Status
• Decide on USB/COM library and implement
• Create EDLET Driver
• Support Multiplayer
SOFTWARE DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT
STATUS
•EDLET Java Game Topology
SOFTWARE DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT
STATUS
Start
EDLET
Load JOGL
Read
Configuration
Load
Images / Music
EDLET Driver
Class
End
SOFTWARE DESIGN/DEVELOPMENT
STATUS
 Microcontroller

PIC 18F4455 – completed
Validated use of Communications Device Class
(CDC) for USB communication
 RS232 TX working


PIC 18F4455 – to do
Reliability test on USB
 RS232 RX with interrupt

PROJECT COMPLETION TIMELINE

Oct 21
 Finalize
PCB layout
 Define PIC/Atom communication protocol

Oct 28
 Block

diagram Atom software
Nov 4
 Finalize

PIC code
Nov 18
 Finalize
Atom code
QUESTIONS / DISCUSSION