Modularized Platform for an Embedded Systems Case Study: Concept and
Design
Authors: Lüntzel Vitus , Schade Florian , Sommer Martin , Sax Eric 
Published: July 2023

This paper presents the concept and design of a hardware platform for an
information technology workshop aimed at first-year electrical engineering
students. The workshop provides students with their initial exposure to
hardware-oriented programming and project management in a software
engineering environment. The platform is centered around a Tiva C LaunchPad
embedded on the control board of a remote-controlled vehicle. The hardware
design of the remote vehicle is modularized into three boards: the control
board, battery management board, and power management board. Additionally, a
remote-control interface has been developed. The hardware platform leverages
various capabilities of the Tiva C LaunchPad, including GPIO, ADC, PWM, and
UART, although the I2C capabilities are not utilized in the
workshop.Students work in groups of three to gain valuable project
management experience. While each student is responsible for developing an
individual hardware-related class, these classes are utilized for group
tasks. To prevent complete group failure in case of one student's inability
to finish their class, example classes are provided as usable libraries. The
organization of responsibilities within the group is left to the students,
and a project plan and Gantt chart timeline are mandatory.The hardware
design adopts a modular structure that effectively separates main functions
and power levels. The battery management board hosts the main fuse and an
emergency shutdown relay, connected to a reed switch. It facilitates the
connection between the batteries and the power management board. PWM signals
from the control board on the power management board actuate two 12V
brushless DC electric motors. Additional connections to the control board
include a 5V power supply, a proportional measurement of the battery
voltage, and control over the revolution speed of the drives. The control
board, which houses the Tiva C LaunchPad, is also connected to ultrasonic
sensors, an ESP8266-Module, and the power control board. The remote-control
interface, featuring another Tiva C LaunchPad, facilitates human-machine
interactions through an 8-bit display, a joystick, and navigation buttons.
The remote control is powered by a 5V power bank.The software architecture
also follows a modular approach, leveraging object-oriented programming
principles. Seven different classes instantiate hardware-related
functionalities. Additionally, four hardware-independent classes are
employed. While all the functions of the remote-controlled vehicle are
consolidated in one hardware-independent class, three are dedicated to
remote control operation: Steering, responsible for reading joystick input
and mapping it to commands; Display, enabling user output through an
interactive menu; and Remote, serving as the central class that brings
together low-level and other hardware-independent classes.In conclusion,
this hardware platform offers first-year electrical engineering students a
practical and comprehensive introduction to hardware-oriented programming
and project management. The workshop provides students with hands-on
exposure to industry-relevant technologies and a collaborative learning
experience. The platform's integration of software and hardware components
promotes a holistic understanding of systems engineering principles.