AC 2011-549: TEACHING DIGITAL FILTER IMPLEMENTATIONS US- ING THE 68HC12 MICROCONTROLLER

We present our pedagogy for teaching digital filter implementations using the 68HC12 microcontroller. In the Electrical and Computer Engineering Technology (ECET) curriculum, a microcontroller has been used as a popular platform for teaching an embedded system course in the sophomore year. After completing the course, students become familiar with the microcontroller software development tools. They are able to program using assembly and C languages, and apply necessary software and hardware interface for hands-on applications. In fact, most microcontrollers are capable of performing basic digital signal processing (DSP) tasks such as digital filtering. Therefore, in this paper, we first proposed a simple DSP platform, which consists of the low-cost 68HC12 microcontroller, a signal condition circuit, and a digital-toanalog converter device for teaching the DSP course. Using the proposed DSP platform, we present our instructional techniques for digital filter implementations and related applications. Our student survey results regarding an adoption of the 68HC12 microcontroller for teaching DSP show that the microcontroller is a cost and learning effective tool and can be used as an alternative when the DSP dedicated hardware is not available.