Embedded and Real-Time Systems / Real-Time Operating Systems

ECE445M, Unique: 18305, 18310, 18320, 18325

Semester: Spring 2026

Reference material

• Coding Guides
  • C programming guidelines: style.pdf
  • Good header and code file syntax: c_and_h_files.pdf
  • Automatically generate software documentation from header files: Doxygen
  • An excellent overview of synchronization issues (the good and bad): Allen B. Downey, The Little Book of Semaphores
     
• Manuals and Data sheets
  • Data sheets: http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~valvano/Datasheets.
  • ARM Cortex-M4 manuals:
    • ARM and Thumb-2 Instruction Set Quick Reference Card
    • Technical Reference Manual
    • Cortex-M3/M4F Instruction Set by TI
    • Cortex M Instructions used in EE319K
    • Arm_Architecture_v6m_Reference_Manual.pdf
    • Arm_Clang_Reference_Guide.pdf
    • Cortex_M0p_TRM.pdf
  • MSPM0G3507 Microcontroller manuals:
    • MSPM0G3507_DataSheet
    • MSPM0G3507 Technical Reference Manual, this is the useful manual
    • Quick reference guide
  • LP-MSPM0G3507 LaunchPad Evaluation Board manuals:
    • User's Guide
    • LP_MSPM0G3507 schematics
  • Secure Digital (SD) card physical layer specification
  • Executable and Linking Format (ELF)
    • ELF Specification
    • ELF for the ARM Architecture
    • ELF file loader for ARM: elfloader project on GitHub
  • ESP8266 Wifi module
    • ESP8266 Documentation by Espressif (ESP8266 chip manufacturer)
    • NURDspace wiki with datasheets, tutorials, etc.
    • ESP8266 community forum
    • Instructables tutorial
    • AT command reference
    • One-page quick reference sheet by Sparkfun
    • Github project for firmware hacking
    • Official AT Instruction Set documentation
    • AT Command Examples
  • TF-Luna LiDAR time-of-flight (TOF) sensor
    • Datasheet
    • Product Manual
  • Robot documentation
    • MSPM0 pin assignments for the RTOS robot
    • sensor board construction.
    • Sensor board KiCad design files in the starter project installation
    • motor board construction.
    • Motor board KiCad design files in the starter project installation
    • Robot bill of materials
    • Mechanical design of Formula0001 Robot Car (source drawings in PCB Artist format)
       
• Tools
  • Code Composer Studio (CCS)
  • Micrium µC/OS sample RTOS implementations
    • µC/OS-II on the ARM Cortex-M3
    • GitHub repositories for µC/OS-II and µC/OS-III
    • Books for µC/OS-II and newer µC/OS-III on Cortex-M
  • Find a real-time periodic schedule with minimum jitter: ScheduleFinder.c
  • Instructions for virtual logic analyzer setup included with ValvanoWare.
     
• Examples and Starter Files
  • Code Composer Studio (CCS) Install directions
  • Starter files: Download ECE445M Lab Projects as a HUGE zip file
  • Linux/gcc development starter projects:
    • Another Linux setup by Clara Schaertl Short
    • Updated Linux setup by Zee Lv
    • Setup for EE445L labs on Linux by Josh Minor
    • linux_skeleton.tar.gz by Kevin George
  • Lab 7
    • Parts lists for robot kit: KitRobotSignOut.pdf
    • CAD files for rack-and-pinion steering: RackAndPinion.zip (credit to Shantanu Kanvinde)
    • CAD files for 3D-printed IR sensor mounts: SensorMounts.zip (credit to Travis Llado)
    • CAD files for 3D-printed RC car chassis: OpenRC F1 car - 1:10 RC Car (credit to Kale Weimer for pointing this out)
    • CAD files for a 3D-printed robot based with, sensor mounts and steering: RobotCar.zip (credit to Devin & Dylan Kretschman, Maanav Koladia and Ishan Deshpande)
    • CAD files for mounting LD19 LiDAR from LDROBOT: Lidar.zip (credit to Andres Albert for the find)
    • Previous race track layouts: Race Tracks
       
• Exams
  • Exam1 Study Guide (to do)
  • Exam2 Study Guide (to do)
  • Final Study Guide(to do)
  • Prof. Gerstlauer's Old exams:
    • Midterm Sp'24 (Solutions) and Final Sp'24 (Solutions)
    • Midterm Sp'23 (Solutions) and Final Sp'23 (Solutions)
    • Midterm Sp'22 (Solutions) and Final Sp'22 (Solutions)
    • Midterm Fa'20 (Solutions) and Final Fa'20 (Solutions)
    • Midterm Sp'20 (Solutions) and Final Sp'20 (Solutions)
    • Midterm Sp'19 (Solutions) and Final Sp'19 (Solutions)
    • Midterm Sp'18 (Solutions) and Final Sp'18 (Solutions)
    • Midterm Sp'16 (Solutions) and Final Sp'16 (Solutions)
    • Midterm Sp'15 (Solutions) and Final Sp'15 (Solutions)
  • Prof. Valvano's old exams:
    • http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~valvano/EE345Moldquiz/
       
• Pictures and Videos
  • Spring 2024 Qualifiers and Races. ECE's photo album for 445L and 445M competitions
  • Spring 2023 Qualifiers and Races. ECE's photo album for 445L and 445M competitions
  • Spring 2022 Qualifiers and Races, ECE photo album
  • Fall 2020 Lab 7 project demos
  • Spring 2020 Lab 7 project demos
  • Spring 2019 Qualifiers, Races, ECE photo album
  • Spring 2018 Qualifiers, Races, ECE photo album
  • Spring 2017 video by Prof. Valvano
  • Spring 2016 Qualifiers, Races, ECE photo album, Prof. Valvano's album, nice FPV, birds-eye view
  • Spring 2015 Races
     

Equipment

• Full service online sales
  • Digikey
  • Mouser Electronics
  • Newark
  • Sparkfun
  • Jameco
  • Arrow