A flexible and configurable laboratory for training technicians and engineers in embedded systems

Abstract

This article presents the design and implementation of an educational proposal focused on the fabrication of didactic equipment for competency-based engineering training in the field of embedded systems. The proposal integrates the development of a customizable embedded system with practical activities directly linked to hardware integration and firmware design. The aim is to explore training strategies that prepare future technicians and engineers for the challenges of their professional practice. This approach seeks to align with the demands of digital transformation in industry and the increasing integration of artificial intelligence in both industrial and academic settings.
The proposed embedded system combines data acquisition and control hardware, integrating a Grand Central M4 Express board and an electrical energy measurement board with the Atmel M90E36A chip. This assembly functions as a flexible experimental laboratory, allowing for the adaptation of hardware blocks and software and firmware design according to the application. It was conceived to teach key concepts such as functional abstraction and object modeling in engineering, using CircuitPython as the interpreted language.
This article details the hardware specifications and presents both a base firmware and an application firmware, both designed for educational purposes. The base firmware provides access to the system's essential functionalities, while the application firmware facilitates the creation of a CircuitPython interpreter for a structured language used in Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). This is achieved by integrating the open-source OpenPLC platform with the data acquisition and control board, leveraging the capabilities of the M90E36A chip.