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A hybrid simulation platform for learning microprocessors
Author(s) -
Papazoglou Panayotis M.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
computer applications in engineering education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.478
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1099-0542
pISSN - 1061-3773
DOI - 10.1002/cae.21921
Subject(s) - computer science , microprocessor , component (thermodynamics) , computer architecture , assembly language , microcontroller , software , embedded system , architecture , personalization , software engineering , component based software engineering , computer architecture simulator , computer hardware , software development , operating system , art , physics , world wide web , visual arts , thermodynamics
Modern engineering applications are based on microprocessors and microcontrollers. Thus, the microprocessor (uP) architecture constitutes a core course component in engineering education. Many technologies have been used by the Universities in the past 30 years for learning uPs. In the 1980s, hardware platforms have been used (e.g., MPF‐I) for learning assembly programming in hexadecimal mode of popular microprocessor models. The above platforms have been replaced by software simulators where the uP components are represented by visual objects. The software based approaches have lack of uP architecture customization and are limited only in assembly programming. On the other hand, the existing hardware based tools are low level and very complicated. Thus, the students do not work on uP design and assembly language development. In this paper, a novel hybrid simulator platform which changes the educational point of view regarding the uP learning methodology is presented. The proposed hybrid simulation platform (HSP) consists of hardware components which represent the uP architectural units and software components for system operation and administration. Using the HSP, students freely select the uP hardware based components and build their own architecture. On the other hand, professors can create educational scenarios with customizable experimental architectures.