Project

Final Project

The E155 final project is a chance to apply your digital design skills to a moderately sized problem of your choosing as part of a two-person team (three-person teams are allowed only in extenuating circumstances).

Project Scope

Be creative when selecting your project. Your project should be bigger than a 1-week lab assignment, but small enough to be doable. If in doubt, err on the side of smaller, and be careful to choose a project within a scope that you can reasonably expect to finish. Your grade can be severely impacted if you take on a project that is too big and produce no completed work.

A successful project will use both the FPGA and MCU and will perform a function that is useful or interesting. You must also use new hardware in your final project: a new microcontroller peripheral, new FPGA IP, and a new piece of external hardware (various sensors or displays are popular choices). All three are required. You can find examples of past final projects below. Examples include games, electromechanical systems, prototypes for a startup company, or elements of a Clinic/research project (with your advisor’s permission).

Logistics

  • All submissions for the project are made as a team and should be submitted on Canvas as group submissions.
  • Teams are two people unless there is an extenuating circumstance. Teams are self-selected and we will give you time to form them in lecture.
  • Slots for the proposal debrief, design review presentation, midpoint demo, and final checkoff are scheduled on the Google Sheet found here. Sign up for a slot as a team, not as individuals.
  • Your project will be graded according to the policy laid out in the syllabus. For reference, that policy can be found here. Rubrics for each deliverable are on the assignment pages linked below.
  • If you feel there has been inequality between the work you and your teammate deliver, contact an instructor personally.

Deliverables

Each deliverable below links to a self-contained assignment page with its full requirements and grading rubric.

Date Deliverable Where Assignment Page
Ongoing Purchasing Parts — Purchasing Parts

10/27, 10/29, & 11/3

 Project Proposal In Class Project Proposal

11/3 & 11/4

 Proposal Redo In Lab Project Proposal

11/10, 11/12 & 11/17

 Design Review Presentation In Class Design Review Presentation

11/17 & 11/18

 Midpoint Report & Demo In Class & In Lab Midpoint Report & Demo

12/8 & 12/9

 Final Checkoff In Lab Final Checkoff

12/10

 Final Report Website Online Final Report

12/11

 Demo Day Public Event —

Working on a final report video? Use the storytelling worksheet to help structure your pitch.

Reference Material

Final Projects from Previous Years of E155

Vendors