A configurable framework for the education of digital electronic control systems

This paper proposes an integrated approach for the education of all issues related to the digital part of an industrial electronic control system. It is based on the use of a common framework for all related courses, from basic digital design to microprocessors and System-on-Chip design. The framework can be adapted to the capabilities of different profiles, i.e., students enrolled in different courses. It allows non-experienced students to become acquainted with the fundamentals of digital electronics, and advanced students to demonstrate the design skills they have learnt, through the development and validation of microprocessor-based control loops. For these purposes, advantage is taken of the many features and resources currently provided by field programmable gate arrays. The advantages of the proposed approach are demonstrated through application examples.