Electronics

& Sound
School of Technology

ASSESSED WORK
Module: Embedded Systems
Module Code: 6EJ054
Module Leader: T. Wilmshurst
Programme(s): BSc Sound, Light and Live Event Technology;
BEng Electrical & Electronic Engineering.
Level: 6
Assessment Title: Design and Implementation of a Small Embedded System
Assessment Number: 2
Assessment Weighting: 70% of module
Estimated Assessment Duration: 40 hours
Learning Outcomes Assessed: 2
Week Set: 12
Submission Date: Tuesday December 13th, 2011 (Week 20)

Work must be handed in at the Student Information Centre.

Assignment Brief
Introduction
This assignment is undertaken in teams, although the final report is written mostly individually. You will be
allocated to a team of three or four, and will develop a Derbot Autonomous Guided Vehicle which will meet
as closely as possible the requirements defined in the accompanying task statement. Noting that product
development is often done these days by multinational groups, teams wherever possible will be international
and cross-cultural (i.e. drawn from different programmes of study).

Mode of Working
Having met as a team, it is essential that you take time to evaluate the problem carefully, develop an overall
strategy, and share out the work appropriately. The outcome of this should be a 2-side A4 (maximum) team
plan, submitted at 9am direct to the module lecturer on Tuesday November 1st. A further copy should be
placed in each final report, as mentioned below.

Individuals may then need to take some time to develop their own part of the project. Following this, time
will be needed to integrate both hardware and software contributions. The time needed for integration
should not be under-estimated. Only one Derbot should be put forward for the competition. However both
should be used for development purposes. All timetabled lab sessions will be available to progress the
assignment.

Teams will be expected to require only low-cost components, and only components funded through the
university will be allowed, unless agreed otherwise. Components and sub-systems which can be recycled
should not be modified or damaged.

Competition
The competition event will take place on Tuesday December 6th, from 11.00 to 13.00. It is mandatory that
you attend for the whole event. Derbot performance will be graded according to the task statement. All
Derbots must be submitted before the start of this session. A separate “Conduct of Competition” document
will be issued.
Award of Marks
Marks will be awarded in the following categories:
Team Working: 5%, (Confidential team-mate assessment).
Performance in Competition: 15%, (Marks awarded directly from task statement).
Individual Report: 80%

Report
These should be presented as a formal technical report, giving a clear account of the work done. Do not
include wide-ranging background material on embedded systems, PIC microcontrollers etc. Apart from the
shared sections identified above, you should focus on areas that you have personally developed. It is
permissible to report development work that you have done even if it was not included in the final team
build. Report sections are likely to include: introduction, team plan (shared), circuit design including any
design calculations, build details, programming including flow or state diagrams, testing and evaluation,
costing (shared), comments on performance in competition, and concluding remarks. Circuit diagram, and
programme listing should be included.

The absolute maximum report length is 16 A4 sides, including diagrams (but excluding appendices).
Reasonable font (e.g. Times New Roman 12 point, Arial 11 point, both single-spaced) and margins should
be used. The programme listing must be included as an appendix.

You are reminded of the University policy on collusion and plagiarism,

which is always enforced. Apart from sections indicated, reports must be
written entirely independently and individually.
Performance Criteria
For a First Class (A- to A+) you will have developed an excellent AGV. Good use will have been made of
a variety of the microcontroller’s facilities. The quality of construction will be excellent. You will have
developed a program which meets all of the requirements of the task statement in a convincing way. Your
report will be well-written, with excellent technical content, and negligible grammatical or typographical
error. You may have included an element in your work of a distinctly novel or original nature.

For an Upper Second (B- to B+) you will have designed and built a good AGV. The quality of construction
will be good. You will have developed a program which meets almost all of the requirements of the task
statement. Your report will be well-written, with good technical content and limited grammatical or
typographical error.

For a Lower Second (C- to C+) you will have designed and built a functioning AGV. Limited use will have
been made of the microcontroller’s capabilities. The quality of construction will be adequate. You will have
developed a program which meets some of the requirements of the task statement. Hardware design may
display weaknesses. Your report will be reasonably well-written, but may be of limited technical content,
and/or contain grammatical or typographical error.

For a Third (D- to D+) you will have produced an AGV. The quality of construction may be poor. You will
have developed a program which meets few of the requirements of the task statement. Hardware design and
functionality may display severe shortcomings. Your report may be poorly written, with some technical
inadequacy or misunderstanding, and maybe containing significant grammatical or typographical error.

For Fm you will have produced an AGV. The quality of pcb layout and construction may be very poor. You
may have developed a limited, maybe non-functioning, program. Hardware design may be poor, to the point
of non-functioning. Your report may be poorly written, with major technical inadequacy or
misunderstanding, and maybe containing extensive grammatical or typographical error.

F/Z will be awarded if no hardware has been produced, or if it displays gross misunderstanding or
inadequacy, or if the written reporting is entirely inadequate.
tjw 17.10.11