The Embedded Systems Survival Guide is a collection of helpful information and resources for students in Columbia's CSEE 4840: Embedded Systems Design class written by former students.
The guide aims to provide useful information and helpful tips on writing C and VHDL and using the Altera design tools as a supplement to the course material provided by Professor Edwards. It is the hope of the authors that the information contained in the guide will save much development time for students working on the labs and final project.
The guide does not include detailed documentation on interfacing with the hardware peripherals of the DE2 development board. It is expected that students will figure this out for themselves through careful analysis of the datasheets and example code, along with a great deal of trial and error. Learning how to read hardware documentation and build drivers based on the documentation is one of the most important skills to be learned in the class. The authors of the guide believe it to be counter-productive to deprive students of this experiential learning.
The guide also does not cover the theory of embedded systems, nor general guidelines for architecting a system and organizing a project. as it is expected that these things will be learned through the class lectures and lecture slides.