IAT 267 Introduction to Technological Systems
Spring 2021
Helmine Serban and Amal Vincent
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Lecture 1:
Overview of the Course
Technological Systems
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Goals for Today
Introductions
• IAT267 teaching team
Course overview
• Course outline
• What will we learn? How?
Course expectations
• Course policy
• Assessment
What are technological systems? Fundamentals of electric circuits.
• Theoretical and practical understanding of such systems
• Introduction to circuits and components
•
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Teaching Team
Instructor: Helmine Serban
• Senior Lecturer, SIAT
• Contact: helmine@sfu.ca
Teaching:
•
•
•
•
•
IAT267 Introduction to Technological Systems
IAT339 Web Design and Development
IAT352 Internet Technologies
IAT359 Mobile Computing
IAT455 Computational Media
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Teaching Team
TA: Amal Vincent
• Graduate Student, SIAT
• amal_vincent@sfu.ca
Research areas:
• Human-computer interaction
• Computer vision and image processing
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning
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Lecture + Lab: Focus
Lecture
-Objective
s
• Learn the theoretical concepts
• Basics of interactive systems
• Explain the communication techniques used in sensor –
microcontroller – computer
• Case studies
• Explain / walk - through many circuit and code examples
Lab Objectives
•
•
•
•
•
Practice techniques covered during the lecture
Hands-on activities
Build circuits
Write code
Lab exercises cover a variety of situations of computer –
sensor communication
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Course Evaluation
Written
Assignments 10%
Projects + Practical
Assignments 30%
Quizzes 25%
Final exam 25%
Participation 10%
• Based on understanding of theory and concepts
• Individual
• Individual and pair-based
• May include documentation (report, slides)
• May include presentations
• Individual
• We have lecture quizzes and lab quizzes
• Individual
• Online exam
• In-class questions
• Exercises
• Discussions (online and in-class)
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Expectations
Attendance
• Attend all classes and come prepared
• Review previous lectures and workshops
Readings
• Read the slides and lab assignments carefully
• Other readings (textbook, library resources) will be assigned
• All available on Canvas
Course information
• Make sure you are up to date with announcements or info
• All announcements will be posted to Canvas
Grades
• Will be posted to Canvas in a timely manner
• Solutions to quizzes and assignments will be reviewed in class
Electronic Kits
• Each student should have their own kit
• Please see announcement on Canvas regarding electronic kits
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Content-related
questions during
lecture and
workshops are
encouraged
Discussion area
on Canvas – for
general-interest
question
Office hours –
drop in for
individual or
team help
Getting
Help
Email – slower
response, should
be used only for
questions of nongeneral interest
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Learning Objectives
Brief description: Develop a theoretical and practical foundation in the structure and
operating principles of technological systems in general, with a focus on computer systems
Sensors:
Interaction
• Develop an
understanding of
various sensor devices
by analyzing the
underlying physical
principles and example
of use in applications
• Learn how to develop
practical interaction-rich
application consisting of
computer systems and
sensors, using Arduino
and Processing
Arduino Platform
Networking
• Study the Arduino
platform, language and
programming
environment and
Processing, which we
will use to communicate
with Arduino
• Study basic principles of
networks with emphasis
on issues relevant to
complex media
applications
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Topics in the course:
Technological System Characteristics
We will look at these systems in general, then we will focus on
computer systems
Basics of electricity and electric circuits
• Electronic components and devices
• Start with simple circuits
• Shift to circuits with sensors and microcontrollers
Sensors
• How they integrate with a computer system
• Reading and processing data from sensors
• Generating output based on sensor data
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Topics in the course:
Microcontroller
Arduino Microcontroller
A physical computing platform for a singleboard microcontroller, with embedded I/O
support. It includes a standard programming
language called Wiring.
Sensors
Low-cost electronic components and sensors
that are controlled by a PC or MAC.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoBUXOOdLXY
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Topics in the course:
Interactive Applications
Develop applications using sensors
• Microcontroller + Sensors + Computer
Stand-alone Arduino applications
Applications using Processing
• Animation
• Mouse and keyboard interactions, etc
Networking
• Network protocols
• Applications
• Programming
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Topics in the course:
Programming Languages
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Technological Systems
Technological
Systems
• Why study
them?
Capabilities
Computer
Systems
• Purpose and
basic
operations
Limitations
Problem
solving
Concepts
• Key
principles for
technological
systems
Sources for
help
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Technological Systems - Examples
• Technology… Can be of many different kinds:
electrical, mechanical, computer-based,
hydraulic, etc.
• The systems of interest to us in the context of
this course are computer-based systems
– Can also be embedded systems (the processor is
hidden – microcontroller systems)
Description:
Embedded System
Microprocessor
• A CPU on a
single IC
(integrated
circuit)
• This is the
brain of the
system
Sensors
Actuators
• A device that
measures a
physical
quantity and
converts it into
a signal which
can be read by
an observer or
by an
instrument
• A device for
moving or
controlling a
mechanism or
system, or
producing
output in
general
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Computer Systems
• Purpose of a computer
– Turn data into information
– Data: the raw facts and figures
– Information: data that has been summarized and
manipulated for use in decision making
• Hardware and Software
– Hardware is the machinery and equipment in the
computer
– Software is the electronic instructions that tell the
computer how to perform a task
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Computer System – The Basic Operations
Input
• What goes into the computer system
Processing
• The manipulations a computer does to transform data into information
Storage
• Temporary storage: memory is primary storage
• Permanent storage: disks and media such as DVDs are secondary storage
Output
• Number or pictures on screen, printouts, sounds
Communications
• Sending and receiving data
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Big Idea #1: Universal Computing Device
• All computers, given enough time and
memory, are capable of computing exactly
the same things.
=
Phone /
tablet
=
Workstation
Supercomputer
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Big Idea #1: Universal Computing Device
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Turing Machine
• Mathematical model of a device that can perform any
computation – Alan Turing (1937)
– Ability to read/write symbols on an infinite “tape”
– State transitions, based on current state and symbol
• Watch online:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgW6HplOZV0
• Every computation can be performed by some
Turing machine. (Turing’s thesis)
a,b
Tadd
Turing machine that adds
a+b
a,b
Tmul
ab
Turing machine that multiplies
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Universal Turing Machine
A machine that can implement all Turing machines
-- this is also a Turing machine!
– inputs: data, plus a description of computation (other TMs)
Tadd, Tmul
a,b,c
U
c(a+b)
Universal Turing Machine
U is programmable – so is a computer!
• Instructions are part of the input data
• A computer can emulate a Universal Turing Machine
A computer is a universal computing device.
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Question 1
Two computers, A and B, are identical except for the fact that A
has a ‘Subtract’ instruction and B does not. Both have ‘Add’
instructions. Both have instructions that can take a value and
produce the negative of that value.
Which computer is able to solve more problems? Justify your
answer.
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From Theory to Practice
• In theory, a computer can compute anything
that’s possible to compute
– Given enough memory and time
• In practice, solving problems involves
computing under constraints.
– time
• weather forecast, next frame of animation, ...
– cost
• cell phone, automotive engine controller, ...
– power
• cell phone, handheld video game, ...
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Big Idea #2:
Transformations Between Layers
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How do we solve a problem using a computer?
• A systematic sequence of transformations
between
layers of abstraction.
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At Deeper Levels…
Instr Set
Architecture
Processor Design:
choose structures to implement ISA
Microarch
Logic/Circuit Design:
gates and low-level circuits to
implement componnts
Circuits
Devices
Process Engineering & Fabrication:
develop and manufacture
lowest-level components
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Description of Each Level
Problem Statement
may be ambiguous, imprecise
stated using "natural language"
Algorithm
step-by-step procedure, guaranteed to
finish
well-defined, effective computability,
finiteness
Program
express the algorithm using a computer
language
high-level language, low-level language
Instruction Set Architecture (ISA)
specifies the set of instructions the
computer can perform
data types, addressing mode
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Description of Each Level (cont.)
Microarchitecture
detailed organization of a processor
implementation
different implementations of a single ISA
Logic Circuits
combine basic operations to realize
microarchitecture
many different ways to implement a single
function
(e.g., addition)
Devices
properties of materials, manufacturability
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In the workshop:
We will start our study at the lowest level:
circuit level
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Electricity Basics
Basic
electrical
circuit
Flow of
electricity
Voltage
Current
The
breadboard
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Basic Electrical Circuit
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Electrical Circuit - Characteristics
Closed Loop
Contains a source of electrical energy
• Battery
Contains a load
• Light bulb
Electrical energy flow
• From the positive terminal of the battery through the wires to the light bulb
• From the light bulb back to the negative terminal of the battery
Described by a schematic
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Electrical Characteristics
• Every component of a circuit has certain electrical
characteristics
– The battery: can provide a certain amount of electrical
energy
– The light bulb: can resist a certain amount of electrical
energy
• If not enough energy is provided to the light bulb: the wires
inside the light bulb will not heat up and provide light
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Basic Electrical Characteristics
Voltage
Current
• The relative level of
electrical energy
between any two
points in the circuit
• The amount of
electrical energy
passing through any
point in the circuit
• Measured in Volts
(V)
• Measured in
Amperes or Amps (A)
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Water Flow Analogy
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Water Flow Analogy
• Current = how much water (or electricity) is
flowing past a certain point.
• Voltage = water pressure
• High water pressure = High voltage
• Low water pressure = Low voltage
– The function of a voltage source (like a battery) is
to add energy to the current.
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Basic Electrical Characteristics
Resistance
Electrical Power
• The amount that
any component in
the circuit resists
the flow of current
• The combination of
current and voltage
• Measured in Ohms
• Watts = Volts x Amps
• Measured in Watts
(W)
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Water Flow Analogy
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Water Flow Analogy
• The valve in the pipe would act as a resistor, limiting
the current (and the voltage) flowing through the pipe.
• Think of resistance as a property of a material that
controls how easy it is for current to flow.
• Some materials – insulators – have very high
resistance. These include: rubber, paper, porcelain, air.
• Because air has a high resistance, it will be difficult for
a current to flow through air. We can think “no
connection” infinite resistance.
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Ohm’s Law
• Voltage (V), Current (I) and Resistance (R) are
related by the following formula:
– Volts = Amps x Ohms
–V=IxR
– This is Ohm’s Law
– The less resistance, the more current
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Flow of Electricity
• Electricity always favors the path of least
resistance to the ground (-)
• All the energy in the circuit must be used
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Serial Circuit
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Parallel Circuit
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Short Circuit
• A circuit with no load is called a short circuit.
– In a short circuit, the power source feeds all of its
power through the wires and back to itself and
either the wires melt, or the battery blows up, or
something might melt or stop functioning
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Electric Components
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The Switch
A break in the circuit that stops the electrons from
flowing.
Closing the switch: the break in the circuit is closed and
the electrons are allowed to flow again
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Diodes
• Diodes permit the flow of electricity in one direction, and
block it in the other direction.
• Because of this, they can only be placed in a circuit in one
direction.
• They are symbolized like this:
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Light – Emitting Diodes
• Light-Emitting Diodes (LED's) are special types of diodes
that emit light when current flows through them.
• They are symbolized like this:
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LEDs
• LEDs, or Light Emitting Diodes, are diodes that
emit light when given the correct voltage.
• Like all diodes, they are polarized, meaning that
they only operate when oriented correctly in the
circuit. The anode of the LED connects to voltage,
and the cathode connects to ground. The anode
in the LEDs in this photo is the longer leg on each
LED.
• LEDs come in many different packages.
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Switches
• Switches control the flow of current
through a junction in a circuit:
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Resistors
• Limit the current flow
in a circuit
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Potentiometer
• A potentiometer is a resistor that can change its
resistance.
• A potentiometer (or pot) has three connections. The
outer leads are the ends of a fixed value resistor. The
center lead connects to a wiper which slides along the
fixed resistor.
• The resistance between the center lead and either of
the outside leads changes as the pot's knob is moved.
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What’s next: Building Circuits
• We will use solderless breadboards to built
some simple circuits:
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Connections
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• Solderless breadboards are the quickest
tools for prototyping a new circuit.
• !!! When you start to put components on
your breadboard, avoid adding, removing,
or changing components on a breadboard
whenever the board is powered. You risk
shocking yourself and damaging your
components.
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Electronics Kit
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Homework
• Review your electronic kit in detail
• Familiarize yourself with the components in
this kit
– Identify each component
– Learn how each component is placed on the
breadboard
• https://www.sparkfun.com/products/14556
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If you have Questions
• Post to Discussions in Canvas
• Book time for my office hours
– You are always welcome to show circuits and ask
questions about circuits in my office hours
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Thank you
Questions?
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