Dec-09: Regarding the EEPROM chips and programmer, a few developments:
We are abandoning the 28C64A chips. Nobody can get them to work according to the documentation, and we don't have time to futz with them. Rewire for the 28C16A chips (the smaller sized ones), which luckily is a rather easy rewiring.
More 28C16A chips will arrive in the morning. Ordered, in stock, and already shipping overnight. Another couple dozen of them, so that should handle everyone's needs.
The EEPROM programmer works, at least for the 28C16A chips. It is reasonably labeled, but it works like so: Plug your chip into the left side of the breadboard, lining up the lower left ground pin with what is obviously the ground connection row. You can then set an address with the left 8 switches, and a data value with the right 8 switches, and commit that value to that address by pressing (and holding for a moment) the B push-button.
To check the values, move the chip to the right side of the board (again lining up the ground pin), and use the right 8 switches this time to pick an address. The value at that address should appear on the top LED's of the ETS-7000.
Finally, a word of warning: I have heard that some groups are somewhat giving up on getting their processor to work, opting instead just to take part A of the final exam. Doing so is an error. If you take the final exam, you still also receive a grade for the final project, which best not be a lousy grade for a lousy project.
Nov-02: Here are solutions to the mid-term exam. It will be augmented with discussion after I've finished grading the mid-terms, which I hope will be soon. Seriously. Stop laughing.
Oct-31: Here are the final project groups for each section:
Oct-22: Many of you are not sure quite how to get your .img machine code files submitted to the CS submission system. To that end, I offer two suggestions:
If you have a graphical connection to remus/romulus, then just start a browser. How? At the command- line, type firefox & and, before too long, the browser will pop up. When asked to browse for files to upload to thes submission system, you'll be choosing from the server's files, including your project work.
How do you know if you're doing a graphical login? Well, if you've used Xming (on Windows) or Xquartz (on Mac), or if you used VNC or something like it, then you may have a graphical login. Try the above and you'll find out, in a hurry, whether it works.
If you have just used a text connection via ssh (which is what puTTY on Windows uses, FYI), then you will need to copy your files onto your own computer before using your own browser on the submission system. In that case, you want to use sftp. If you are using Mac or Linux, then sftp is a command-line program; for Windows users, download it from the puTTY download page as psftp.exe. (For those more accustomed to these tools, scp/pscp.exe is also an option.)
Oct-06: Visit the course's Moodle page, on which you will see a link for a mid-term review forum. I will be following this forum, answering the questions that you post as you prepare for the exam, tonight, from 7 to 9 pm.
Oct-03: The entirety of the course textbook -- all 103 pages -- is relevant in prepartion for the exam. Happy reading!
Oct-01: Check the Documents page for the sample mid-term and its solutions. Readings from the text and a topic list will be forthcoming soon.
Sep-18: First, here's the news for which you've been waiting: The new hardware arrived! There are new breadboards and units that go with them, although these new ones are slightly different (blue, smaller, rearranged controls, but still with the same eight switches and eight lights, etc.) If you do not have an ETS-7000, then you may claim one of these with some masking tape and your name. There should be enough of them for every student to have one.
Second, if you choose to submit a video that demonstrates your solution for Lab 2, then please be sure to submit it using the CS Submission System. Please do not send the video as an email attachment; nor should you email me a link to a YouTube/Vimeo/etc. copy of the video. If you cannot upload using the CS Submission System (for example, some have found that even that system has a file size limit), then please use ACApps to upload your video and then share it with me at sfkaplan@amherst.edu. If you don't know how to do that, visit the IT Help Desk.
Finally -- and I will address this topic during class -- the state of the lab has been wholly unacceptable. Wire on the tables and the floor; chips both working and broken, scattered around all of the surfaces; ETS-7000 units and breadboards left on the central tables, often plugged in; nearly none of the probes, chip pullers, chip tubes, or other tools put away, even in the simplest sense of the phrase. This thoughtless disorder and inattention to our working space stops now.
I spent hours this afternoon and evening, while unpacking the new breadboards and other hardware, to do a partial cleaning. Thanks to that effort and the ongoing efforts of our TA's, the wire, probes, chip pullers, and wire strippers are reasonably organized. We will maintain that organization at the very least. You must take the time to clean your workspace before you leave the lab, always. If I find your work out, and the space around it left messy, then I will store your board in another, locked lab accessible only to faculty, and when you want it back, you can come and ask me. At that point, we will talk.
I will endeavor to obtain new shelving so that it will be easier and better organized to put away all of your work. However, you must begin new and effective habits to keep the lab clean starting now. I will not clean the lab again; it's upkeep is your task.
Sep-11: Many of you have taken videos of your circuits of your work for Lab 1, which is wonderful. If you have already emailed these videos to me, then for this week (and this week only!), I will handle those emailed attachments/links. However, if you have not yet submitted such a video and you want to do so, please use the CS department submission system. Upload your videos there from now on.
Aug-24: Welcome! Regular announcements, including information about problem sets, lab projects, class preparation, corrections, cancellations, and just about anything else will be provided here. Check this space daily (at the least) to see if any new announcements have been posted. Prior to the first class at 11:00 am on Wednesday, Sep-03, you must read the Course Information document.
