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ICT 9 Activity Sheet

Quarter 4 | Module 1
Microcontroller Programming
Introductory Message
Welcome to ICT 9!

The Learning Activity Sheet is self-directed instructional materials aimed to guide

the learners in accomplishing activities at their own pace and time using the contextualized
resources in the community. This will also assist the learners in acquiring the lifelong
learning skills, knowledge and attitudes for productivity and employment.

For learning facilitator:

The ICT 9 Activity Sheet will help you facilitate the leaching-learning activities
specified in each Most Essential Learning Competency (MELC) with minimal or no face-to-
face encounter between you and learner. This will be made available to the learners with
the references/links to ease the independent learning.

For the learner:

The ICT 9 Activity Sheet is developed to help you continue learning even if you are
not in school. This learning material provides you with meaningful and engaging activities
for independent learning. Being an active learner, carefully read and understand the
instructions then perform the activities and answer the assessments. This will be returned
to your facilitator on the agreed schedule.
 Name of Learner:_______________________ Grade and Section:______________
School:_________________________________ Date: ___________________________

ICT-9 ACTIVITY SHEET

Microcontroller Programming

Learning Competency:
Explain how microcontroller programming works.

Support Competencies:
1. Explain the selection of a microcontroller.
2. Discuss the programming process using Arduino.

Background information for the learners

In our previous lesson, we have discussed what is a microcontroller and its applications. As we progress
with our lesson in microcontroller, you will know the basics on how programming is done in a
microcontroller. To help you further understand this lesson, you will be guided by a video about Arduino
programming.

Activity Proper
Activity 1.
The feSelecting a Microcontroller

The features and functionality of a microprocessors are unique to each brand or model. Before
coding a microcontroller for your project, you must select a model that meets all the requirements of your
design. Common features people look for in a microcontroller include I/O pins, clock frequency and
storage memory, however a countless number of other specifications exist. Writing code is pointless if the
hardware can’t interact with your circuit the way you need it to.

For beginners, Arduino is a brand of microcontroller commonly used amongst hobbyists and
professionals alike. Its software is open source, meaning anyone can contribute to the growing pool of
recourses available to its users.

Programming

Microcontrollers are typically programmed in higher-level languages such as C++ or Java. One of the
essential tools needed to program a microcontroller is an integrated development environment (IDE). This
software is usually developed by the creators of the microcontroller, and contains useful tools to help you
program your microcontroller. Common tools found in IDE’s include, code editors, compilers, and
debuggers. Depending on the application of the microcontrollers, additional features may be added as
well.

Once a suitable IDE is obtained, you can begin writing code. For explanatory purposes, this guide will
show an example of the Arduino IDE in use. Below is an example of a simple Arduino program that
makes an LED blink on and off at a frequency of 1Hz. The code is split into 4 different sections as follows:
Comments
The program started with a comment section containing a general description of what the
code/program does. While this section has no effect on the programs functionality, it’s always a good
to document it for future reference. User instructions, company and copyright information are also
commonly placed here as well.

Variable Declaration
The second section is the Variable decoration. These variables are global, and can be called in any
sections that follow. It is also common to create variables to describe each pins function, and set them
equal to the pin number on the board to make coding more intuitive.

Void Setup
Digital pins on microcontrollers are commonly used as inputs or outputs, but very rarely can they be
both. In this section, the user defines which pins are inputs or outputs, as well as any other parameters
that must be initialized. While the method of doing so varies for different microcontrollers, almost all
of them require a similar step to configure the microcontrollers internal circuitry to fit the needs of your
design.

Void Loop
This section is where the function of your microcontroller is written. Any actions that require reading or
writing values from pins, or computing the values of different variables is done here.

Compiling and Uploading

This step is almost always handled by the IDE. Once your code is written, it must be uploaded to the
microcontrollers. Most have USB interfaces, but some smaller microcontrollers require a special
hardware to be programmed. While we typically program microcontrollers in higher level languages,
the microcontroller itself runs on assembly. To translate code to a format usable by a microcontroller,
a compiler must be used.
 A compiler is a software tool that takes higher level code and optimizes it for assembly. Assembly
provides specific instructions to the microcontroller on what register operations to perform to match the
operation of the original code. Once the assembly code is created, it can be uploaded to the
microcontroller for testing.

Debugging

Debugging is the process of identifying and removing errors from computer hardware or software
Most IDE’s contain debuggers that are able to run the code step by step at the users control while
keeping track of variable and register values so the user can learn exactly what point the program
behaves differently than as intended. This is a form of white box testing, and provides much more
information that can be used to deduce the cause of a faulty program.

Answer the questions below:

1. Why is the importance of selecting a microcontroller?

2. How compling and uploading is done in a microcontroller programming?

Activity 2.
In this activity, you will watch a video about how microcontroller works.

Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL34zDTPkcs

After watching the video, answer the questions below.

1. What is Arduino?
2. Explain how Arduino works.

Reflection.
Complete the statements below.

I understand__________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

I don’t understand ___________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

I need more information about _________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________
Summative Assessment
Multiple choice. Select the letter of the correct answer.

1. What is the section of a program that gives the general description of what the code can do?
a. Variable declaration c. Void loop
b. Comments d. Compiling
2. The following are the sections of a program, except
a. comments c. debugging
b. void Loop d. void setup
3. Microcontrollers are programmed using in a low-level language.
a. True b. False
4. Microcontrollers work in this type of environment.
a. IDE c. integrated circuit
b. Arduino d. CPU
5. What are the common features you should in selecting a microcontroller?
a. I/O pins c. Memory
b. clock frequency d. All of the above
6. Arduino is a microcontroller?
a. True b. False
7. A microcontroller may work without a program running on it.
a. True b. False
8. Which is NOT a common tool found in IDE?
a. code editors c. compilers
b. debuggers d. uploading
9. What do you need to translate code to a format usable by a microcontroller?
a. functions c. IDE
b. debugger d. compiler
10. A step in the programming process that identifies and corrects program code.
a. Uploading c. debugging
b. Compiling d. optimizing

Links and/or Other References

https://www.egr.msu.edu/classes/ece480/capstone/spring15/group13/assets/app_note_john_foxworth.docx
.pdf
https://www.google.com/search?q=debugging+meaning
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nL34zDTPkcs
https://www.slideshare.net/EmmanuelObot4/introduction-to-arduino-hardware-and-programming-
83637660

Prepared by:

Maricar R. Pornel
Teacher 1