Course SMC101
Introduction to Assembly Language Programming
Introduction to Assembly Language Programming
Duration: 5 Days
Intended Audience
Attendees should have a basic knowledge of programming and computers. No prior knowledge of microcontrollers or assembly language is assumed.
Course Overview
- 8 bit and 16 bit micro-controller architectures and instruction sets.
- Basic assembly programming techniques using variables, arrays and data structures
- The fundamental structured programming constructs of sequence, choice and iteration, and how they can be realised in assembly language code
- Structured programming techniques using flowcharts and pseudo-code and how to convert these into clear well documented assembler
- Techniques for programming of timers, peripherals and interrupt handling
- The hands on exercises also cover the use of simulation, debugging and in-circuit debugging techniques as well as techniques for in-system programming.
Course Benefits
Students successfully completing this course will have a sound understanding of the mechanisms by which micro-controllers function, structured assembly programming techniques, assembly code testing and debugging techniques, and programming of timers and peripherals using polling and interrupt driven approaches.
Course Contents
Microprocessor Architectures
- Microprocessors compared to micro-controllers
- Uses of small micro-controllers
- Harvard and Von-Neuman architectures compared
- Memory types found in micro-controllers
- Limitations of micro-controllers
- Overview of common small micro-processor architectures
Instruction Sets and Assembly Language Programming
- Anatomy of an instruction
- Types of instruction
- How an assembler converts assembly code into machine code (object code)
- Formats for saving object code in files
- Loading code into a micro-controller
- Features found in typical Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)
- How simulators and debuggers work
- In circuit debugging and in circuit emulation compared and contrasted
Registers and Peripherals
- Special Function Registers, Working Registers, General Purpose Registers
- Typical on chip peripherals - USARTS, A/D, Timers, I/O Ports
- Basic Input / Output ( I/O )
Basic Assembly Language Program Patterns and Templates
- Implementing if-then-else logic in assembler
- Implementing iteration loops in assembler
- Calling and returning from functions in assembler
- Understanding the concept of a stack
- Hardware stacks and software stacks
- Passing arguments to functions
- Returning results from functions
- Saving and restoring context when working with functions
- Dealing with segmented memory architectures
Interrupts and Interrupt Handling
- What is an interrupt
- Enabling and disabling interrupts
- Interrupt vectors
- Prioritising of interrupts
- Nesting of interrupts
- Masking of interrupts
- Saving and restoring context in interrupt handlers
- Polling vs. interrupt driven event handling
Basic Input Output Techniques
- Displaying patterns using LEDs
- Cycling through a sequence of patterns
- Using software delays
- Using polling for timer counter overflow to implement a delay
- Using timer interrupts to implement a delay
- Using lookup tables to specify a sequence of patterns
- Driving 7/8 segment LED displays
- Buttons and keypads
- Detecting button presses using polling / interrupt approaches
- Interfacing to a 3 x 4 or 4 x 4 keypads
More Advanced Input Output Techniques
- Driving a simple two line LCD display controller
- Implementing RS232 communications using an on chip USART
- Implementing RS232 communications using "bit banging"
Tables, Arrays and Records
- Defining and implementing simple constant data lookup tables
- Defining and working with simple arrays
- Designing and implementing basic record oriented data structures
Maths
- Binary, octal, decimal and hexadecimal numbers
- Using 1's complement and 2's complement to represent negative numbers
- How maths libraries implement basic integer arithmetic functions
- Fixed point and floating point arithmetic
- Converting a binary number into a string of digit characters
- Implementing parity checking