Web Based I/O Simulator for Education in Machine-Oriented Programming

Sammanfattning

The Machine-Oriented Programming course at Chalmers University of Technologyand the University of Gothenburg introduces students to low-level programmingthrough microcontroller-based laboratory exercises. During the course, physicalaccess to hardware is limited to scheduled lab sessions, which restricts opportunitiesfor practice. To address this issue, a simulator is used to simulate the microcontrollerunit (MCU) and the connectable Input/Output (I/O) units that are used in thecourse.This bachelor’s thesis presents the development of a web-based simulator for theI/O units that interfaces with the existing MCU simulator via WebSockets. ThisI/O simulator is developed separate from the MCU logic, with the goal of makingit platform-independent as well as more usable, maintainable and accessible. Itsupports various I/O units such as switches, bargraphs, 7-segment displays andkeypads.The application was evaluated through user testing with students who have previouslytaken the course. The overall reception was positive in terms of usability,visual design, and its potential as an educational tool for understanding and experimentingwith machine-oriented programming