Digital Electronics & Computer Architecture

Number Systems & Boolean Algebra

• Binary, hexadecimal, octal conversions
• Logic gates and truth tables
• Boolean theorems and simplification

Combinational Circuits

• Multiplexers, demultiplexers, encoders, decoders
• Adders, subtractors, comparators

Sequential Circuits

• Flip-flops (SR, JK, D, T)
• Registers and counters
• State machines (Mealy and Moore)

Computer Architecture Basics

• Von Neumann vs Harvard architecture
• CPU components (ALU, registers, control unit)
• Memory hierarchy (cache, RAM, ROM)
• Buses and interconnects

C Programming for Embedded Systems

Core C Concepts

• Data types, operators, control structures
• Functions and recursion
• Pointers and pointer arithmetic
• Arrays and strings

Advanced C Topics

• Structures and unions
• Bit manipulation and bitwise operators
• Function pointers and callbacks
• Memory management (stack vs heap)
• Volatile and const keywords
• Static and extern storage classes

Low-Level Programming

• Type casting and type punning
• Preprocessor directives
• Inline assembly basics

Microcontroller Architecture

8-bit Microcontrollers (AVR/8051)

• Architecture overview
• Memory organization
• Instruction set
• Addressing modes

32-bit Microcontrollers (ARM Cortex-M)

• ARM architecture families
• Cortex-M series overview
• Register set and pipeline
• Thumb instruction set

Peripheral Interfacing

GPIO (General Purpose Input/Output)

• Pin configuration and multiplexing
• Pull-up/pull-down resistors
• Input/output operations

Timers and Counters

• Timer modes (normal, CTC, PWM)
• Prescalers and compare match
• Input capture

Interrupts

• Interrupt vectors and priority
• ISR (Interrupt Service Routine) design
• Nested interrupts
• External and internal interrupts

ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter)

• Resolution and sampling rate
• Reference voltage
• Conversion modes

DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter)

• Resolution and output range
• R-2R ladder implementation

Communication Protocols

Serial Communication

• UART/USART (baud rate, frame format)
• SPI (Master/Slave configuration)
• I2C/TWI (addressing, clock stretching)

Advanced Protocols

• CAN bus (automotive applications)
• USB (device and host modes)
• Ethernet (TCP/IP stack basics)
• Bluetooth (classic and BLE)
• WiFi (ESP32/ESP8266)

RTOS Concepts

Fundamentals

• Task/thread vs process
• Context switching
• Scheduler types (preemptive, cooperative)
• Priority-based scheduling

Synchronization Mechanisms

• Semaphores (binary and counting)
• Mutexes and critical sections
• Event flags
• Message queues
• Priority inversion and solutions

Memory Management

• Static vs dynamic allocation
• Memory pools
• Stack overflow detection

Popular RTOS Platforms

• FreeRTOS
• Zephyr
• ThreadX
• RIOT OS
• Micrium µC/OS

Embedded Linux

Linux Kernel Basics

• Kernel architecture
• Boot process (bootloader, kernel, init)
• Device drivers

Buildroot & Yocto

• Custom Linux distribution creation
• Cross-compilation

Device Tree

• Hardware description
• DTS/DTB files

Power Management

Low Power Modes

• Sleep, deep sleep, standby modes
• Clock gating and power domains
• Wakeup sources

Power Optimization Techniques

• Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS)
• Peripheral power management
• Battery management systems

Hardware Debugging & Testing

Debug Tools

• JTAG and SWD interfaces
• Debuggers (GDB, OpenOCD)
• Logic analyzers
• Oscilloscopes

Testing Methodologies

• Unit testing (Unity, CUnit)
• Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing
• Code coverage analysis

Safety & Security

Functional Safety

• IEC 61508, ISO 26262 standards
• Safety-critical system design
• FMEA (Failure Mode Effects Analysis)

Security

• Secure boot
• Encryption (AES, RSA)
• Secure key storage
• Attack vectors (buffer overflow, side-channel)

System Design

PCB Design Basics

• Schematic capture
• Component selection
• Layout considerations (EMI/EMC)

Signal Integrity

• Impedance matching
• Ground planes
• Decoupling capacitors

Algorithms

Signal Processing

Filtering

• FIR (Finite Impulse Response) filters
• IIR (Infinite Impulse Response) filters
• Moving average filters
• Kalman filtering

Transform Algorithms

• FFT (Fast Fourier Transform)
• DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform)

Control Algorithms

• PID (Proportional-Integral-Derivative) control
• State space controllers
• Fuzzy logic control

Data Structures & Algorithms

• Circular buffers/Ring buffers
• Linked lists (for dynamic memory)
• State machines (FSM)
• Sorting algorithms (quick sort, merge sort)
• Search algorithms (binary search)
• Hash tables
• FIFO/LIFO queues

Communication & Networking

Protocol stacks

• TCP/IP implementation
• MQTT, CoAP (IoT protocols)
• Modbus (industrial communication)

Error detection/correction

• CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check)
• Hamming codes
• Parity checking

Compression algorithms

• Huffman coding
• LZW compression

Real-Time Scheduling

• Rate Monotonic Scheduling (RMS)
• Earliest Deadline First (EDF)
• Fixed Priority Scheduling
• Round Robin

Design Techniques

• Finite State Machines (FSM)
• Event-driven programming
• Interrupt-driven architecture
• Polling vs interrupt trade-offs
• DMA (Direct Memory Access) techniques
• Watchdog timer implementation
• Bootloader design
• Over-the-air (OTA) updates
• Memory mapping and linker scripts
• Hardware abstraction layers (HAL)

Development Tools

IDEs & Editors

• Keil MDK
• IAR Embedded Workbench
• STM32CubeIDE
• Arduino IDE
• PlatformIO
• VS Code with extensions
• Eclipse CDT

Compilers & Toolchains

• GCC ARM toolchain
• LLVM/Clang
• SDCC (Small Device C Compiler)
• IAR compiler

Debugging & Analysis

• GDB (GNU Debugger)
• Segger J-Link
• OpenOCD
• Valgrind (memory analysis)
• Wireshark (protocol analysis)
• Logic analyzers (Saleae, DSLogic)
• Oscilloscopes

Simulation & Emulation

• Proteus
• QEMU
• Renode
• SimulIDE

Version Control & CI/CD

• Git/GitHub/GitLab
• Jenkins
• GitHub Actions
• Docker (containerized development)

PCB Design

• KiCad
• Altium Designer
• Eagle
• EasyEDA

Beginner Level (1-2 weeks each)

1. LED Blinking & Patterns

• Multiple LED control
• Knight Rider effect
• PWM-based brightness control

2. Push Button Interface

• Debouncing implementation
• Toggle LED with button
• Multiple button states

3. UART Communication

• Serial terminal interface
• Echo server
• Simple AT command parser

4. Temperature & Humidity Monitor

• DHT11/DHT22 sensor interface
• LCD display integration
• Data logging over serial

5. PWM Motor Control

• DC motor speed control
• Servo motor positioning
• Direction control with H-bridge

6. Digital Clock

• RTC module integration
• 7-segment display
• Alarm functionality

Intermediate Level (2-4 weeks each)

7. Home Automation System

• Relay control for appliances
• Smartphone app control via Bluetooth
• Scheduled operations

8. Data Logger

• Multiple sensor inputs
• SD card storage
• CSV file generation
• Time-stamped data

9. Line Following Robot

• IR sensor array
• PID control implementation
• Motor driver interface

10. Weather Station

• Multiple environmental sensors
• WiFi connectivity
• Cloud data upload (ThingSpeak/Blynk)
• Web dashboard

11. RFID Access Control

• RFID reader interface
• User authentication
• Access logging
• Solenoid lock control

12. Digital Oscilloscope

• ADC sampling at high speed
• Waveform display on TFT
• Trigger implementation
• Frequency measurement

13. Smart Parking System

• Ultrasonic distance measurement
• Slot availability display
• Entry/exit barrier control

14. GPS Tracker

• GPS module integration
• GSM/GPRS communication
• Location logging
• Geofencing alerts

Advanced Level (1-3 months each)

15. RTOS-Based Multi-Sensor System

• Multiple concurrent tasks
• Priority-based scheduling
• Inter-task communication
• Resource management

16. CAN Bus Vehicle Network

• Multiple ECU simulation
• Message filtering and routing
• Diagnostic protocol implementation
• Bus monitoring tool

17. Industrial PLC Simulator

• Ladder logic interpreter
• Multiple I/O handling
• Modbus communication
• HMI interface

18. Audio Processing System

• Real-time audio capture
• FFT spectrum analyzer
• Digital filtering
• Audio effects (echo, reverb)

19. Drone Flight Controller

• IMU sensor fusion
• PID-based stabilization
• PWM motor control
• RC receiver interface
• Telemetry transmission

20. Custom IoT Gateway

• Multiple protocol support (MQTT, CoAP)
• Edge data processing
• Embedded Linux platform
• Cloud connectivity
• Local web server

21. Medical Device Prototype

• ECG/EEG signal acquisition
• Real-time signal processing
• Artifact removal
• Data visualization
• Safety-critical design considerations

22. Machine Vision System

• Camera interface (OV7670, ESP32-CAM)
• Image processing on MCU
• Object detection using TinyML
• UART/WiFi image transmission

23. Wireless Sensor Network

• Mesh networking implementation
• Low-power operation
• Multi-hop routing
• Data aggregation
• Base station with visualization

24. Robot Arm with Inverse Kinematics

• Stepper/servo motor control
• Coordinate transformation
• Path planning algorithms
• Teach pendant interface
• Vision-guided picking

25. Custom Bootloader with OTA

• Bootloader from scratch
• Firmware encryption
• Version management
• Rollback capability
• Multiple communication interfaces

26. Software-Defined Radio

• RF transceiver integration
• Modulation/demodulation
• Protocol implementation
• Spectrum analyzer

27. Embedded Web Server with REST API

• Lightweight HTTP server
• JSON parsing
• RESTful endpoints
• WebSocket support
• Authentication

28. Battery Management System (BMS)

• Cell voltage monitoring
• Current sensing
• State of charge estimation
• Balancing control
• Safety protection features