Prefect's Pages.. Publications .. MQP .. Microcontroller Module

DACS: Microcontroller Module

Next: Mixer Unit Up: Control Board Previous: Transport Control Module Contents

Microcontroller Module

The microcontroller module used for in the control board shall be of sufficient computing capability to handle polling of all of the input hardware (buttons, faders, etc.), driving of the three LCD modules, and serial communication at 19.2Kbps. For the prototype, a pre-made Motorola 8MHz MC68HC11 microcontroller board will act as the embedded processor for the control board. This board contains an RS232 port, an 8-input A/D converter, an I/O port, address decoding logic, and contrast adjustment for liquid crystal displays. Figure 15 shows this microcontroller board.

**Figure 15:** Axiom CMM-11A8 single-board computer, used in the mixer unit.
$\begin{figure} \psfig{file=hw/cmm-11a8.ps} \end{figure}$

In a marketed model, a custom microcontroller board would be developed that includes only the necessary features. However, due to the time frame of this project, it makes sense to use a pre-manufactured microcontroller board. While it would certainly have been possible to develop a microcontroller board, the time spent debugging the inevitable problems would have significantly taken away from firmware and software development.

Steve Richardson 2000-07-06

Table of Contents

[PDF] [Whole document in PDF 1.9MB]

[more photos and information]

Page last modified: