A laboratory for microprocessor teaching at different levels

The design of a laboratory for microprocessor experimental teaching in which flexibility is one of the major design requirements is presented. The laboratory is intended to be used for software and hardware experiments, and is dedicated to students with very different levels of microprocessor knowledge. The basic development station includes a VME single-board computer, based on the 68010 microprocessor, connected through a serial link to a personal computer that acts as the system user interface, allowing the editing, assembly, loading, and debugging of low-level programs. The microprocessor may be connected to the user hardware through a VME interface board which has been specifically designed and developed for this purpose. This interface provides the user with the microprocessor bus signals, some of which have been emulated, and makes the VME bus transparent to users. Thus, the user needs no prior knowledge of this bus. It also acts as a protection system against critical errors in the user hardware