Fun and games and microcomputer interfacing (laboratory exercises)

Abstract

A microcomputer laboratory is described in which students learn computing concepts by carrying out exercises that allow them to experience in an immediate and tangible manner the fruits (and sometimes follies) of their programming efforts. The exercises include a transparent serial communications link (different from the onboard link on the 68 KECB single-board computer); generation of computer music; decoding patterns from a bar wand; low-resolution, bit-mapped graphics; control of a turtle robot; low-level control of floppy-disk drive (and the subsequent writing of disk-handler software); movement of an x-y drill positioner; data logging (including statistical analysis of the readings taken); control of a slot-car set; and model railway scheduling. Several of these exercises are described.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>