CS306

Processing Systems Structures

Lockwood, Spring 2002

Introduction

• For the CS306 final project, you will have an opportunity to write your own machine problem.
• For this project, you should combine the concepts you have learned from this class along with new and original ideas of your own creation.
• This is a team project, with a team size of 3 or 4 individuals.

Browse On-line Projects

• Spring 2002 Final Project Writeups

A few project ideas

• Create a new arcade-style game.
  • Use Mode 13h video graphics
  • Do something different so that your is new and original.
  • Identify the specific features that make your program unique.
• Create a screen saver
  • Displays graphics while the system is idle.
  • Displays images while the system is idle.
• Create an enhanced calulator. Add one or more features such as:
  • Point and click graphical interface
    • Use Text-mode video
    • Use the mouse
  • Floating point math functions.
    
    • Note: Allocate time to code routines that convert arbitrary Base-10 strings of numbers to floating point numbers
  • Trigonometric functions
    • Use 80x87 opcodes for Floating point math
    • Use pre-copmputed Table-lookup functions for fixed-point math
  • Plot functions
    • Use a Mode 13h graphics screen
• Create an educational tool
  • Write a program which teaches concepts to other students
  • Consider tools that demonstrate key CS306 concepts
  • Consider tools that demonstrate key EE or CS concepts
  • Consider tools that demonstrate key Engineering concepts
  • Consider tools that demonstrate K-12 concepts
  • Add graphics and/or sound where appropriate
• Create a logic analyzer
  • Use the parallel port of a PC.
  • Warning: Be careful to only connect TTL-level signals to your system. Otherwise, you could damage your PC
• Create a completely different project from anything described above.
  • Your project should use concepts and ideas from the material covered in class.
  • Your project MUST contain some new and original ideas that have never been implemented in this class or anywhere else in the vast Internet.
• Create a project that combines ideas from above.

Survey the projects submitted in previous semesters

• Archives from over 100 Final Projects implemented for ECE291 in the recent past are on-line:
  • Spring 1999 Projects
  • Fall 1998 Projects
  • Spring 1998 Projects
  • Fall 1997 Projects
  • Fall 1996 Projects
• You may use these (and other) projects as ideas for your project, but do not attempt to copy the work and claim it as your own!
• Note that you will have LESS TIME this semester to finish your project.

A few friendly words of advice

1. This project is worth more points than a MP and you can divide the work among members of your team.
2. Don't choose an impossible topic. You need to get it working by the end of the semester. A demo that doesn't do anything won't earn many points.
3. Avoid using the SoundBlaster or Network. Microsoft has maintained only limited compatibility with software written to use these devices from DOS.
4. Work as a team. Start early. Set a regular work schedule. Don't wait until the last minute to verify that your code works together. Be prepared to cover for a team member if they get stuck on a routine. Meet and talk with each other about the status of the project on a regular basis (daily or weekly).
5. Be sure to document the parts of your code that you borrow from other students or find on the Internet. You are welcome to use libraries and/or source code that you find elsewhere, but will only be graded on the part of the code that YOU write. Documented plagerism is a complement to the original author. Undocumented plagerism is a crime. If you claim someone else's code as your own, your team will fail the final project.
6. Choose an original topic. Orignal projects yield original ideas!

Graded Items

• Project Writeup
  • Your team should have a listing on the project page that includes a link to your project homepage. The TAs will grade the page that you specify on Monday, April 15. Your writeup should include the following content:
    • Team Members: List your team members and describe how each contributed.
    • Introduction: Describe your project and major goals
    • Problem Description: What are the challenging aspects of this problem that make this problem different from the machine problems that have already been written.
    • Implementation: Describe how the program works. What are the major components of the program. What data structures do you use to internally represent the data and what processing is required.
    • Procedures: Define the subroutines. Define each routines' purpose, inputs, outputs, assumptions, description, and name of the team member responsible for writing the code.
    • External Routines: You are welcome to use code from the machine problems, code found on the Internet or ftp sites, or code written by other students. You must, however, credit the source. Plagerism and/or copyright violation is unacceptable. You will only receive credit for the code that your team writes.

  • 25 Points

• Project Demonstration
  • On the last day of class, each team will demonstrate their final project to the class. The large-screen monitor in the classroom will be avaiable to you to demonstrate your project. It is critical that your program is functional. For the demonstration, you will be graded on technical merits and accomplishments by other members of your class.

  • 50 Points, Peer Evaluation

• Electronic Submission
  • You are expected to electronically submit your project documentation, project writeup, executable code, and source code.

    Your handin should have three sections (subdirectores):

    \PUBLIC
    • A local copy of your web files.
    • Include all other images or files that are part of your writeup.
    • Be sure to use relative web links to reference html and images in the directory you submit rather than absolute links. Your writeup will be archived along with the supporting files.
    • GIF Screen shots (320x200) from your running program.

    \PROGRAM

    • An executable version of your program called MAIN.EXE
    • All Additional files (such as PCX or BMP images) that are needed for the program to run.
    • Your program should run on any Pentium-class machine. Your program must not assume fixed interrupts or DMA channels. If your MP doesn't run on Prof. Lockwood's computer; it may not be graded.

    \CODE

    • The source code to your MP (All source code) and a Makefile.
    • The commands CLEAN.BAT and BUILD.BAT should be able to erase all object and executable code then reassemble them from source. If your MP doesn't build on the lab computers; it may not be graded.
    • Within the comments of your source code, every procedure should be commented and attributed to an author.
    • Once you have completed your project, submit the peer evaluation sheet.
    • To enable archiving, try to keep the size of your submission to under 1 MByte.

  • 25 Points

• Individual Evaluation

  You MUST electronically submit this form to receive credit for your project

  • Your source code will be analyzed to determine how much you contributed to the project.

  • 25 points