Design of digital testbeds for undergraduate microelectronics teaching

Abstract

Abstract-In this paper we detail the series of digital microelectronics testbed boards which have been developed to meet the requirements of the microelectronics undergraduate programmes at the University of Southampton. We discuss how our boards solve many of the issues with the digital testbeds used previously for the microelectronics programmes and those which are available on the market. The digital testbed solution described in this paper is modular, and comprises multiple boards which each perform a specific function. This modular design is compact and easily expandable, while being cost effective such that they can be given to students to use at home. The boards are well suited for use with modern digital components, and fit in well with teaching of microcontrollers, programmable logic, and discrete logic.