Date: Wed, 08 Jan 1997 21:47:43 GMT Server: NCSA/1.4.2 Content-type: text/html CSE467 Hardware Lab Policies

CSE467: Advanced Logic Design

Carl Ebeling, Spring 1996


Hardware Laboratory - Overview and Policies

Lab assignments will be completed in the Digital Design Laboratory (327 Sieg). (You may also use the workstations in the 232 Pentium lab after the design tools are installed.) There are 10 Intel Pentium workstation on workbenches in the lab. There are also a number of other PCs and Macs which we will not be using much, if at all. The logic analyzers and digital oscilloscopes you will be using are at approximately one half of the benches. In addition, there also is a DataI/O PLD and microcontroller programmer. Multi-meters, oscilloscopes, and other tools and equipment are available.

Rules:There will be absolutely no food or drink brought into the lab and you should refrain from activities that disrupt fellow students. Please help us to keep the lab clean and neat with equipment, manuals, and tools in their proper place. If you are going to be gone from the Lab for any length of time, please clear your working space so someone else will be able to work. Since other students have access to the lab, do not assume that you can safely use a workbench indefinitely. If for some reason you need to monopolize a bench or piece of equipment, make sure to leave a note explaining the situation with your name and a phone number where you can be reached.

Laboratory Hours: The laboratory must be shared with the students in CSE370 and CSE477. CSE467 and CSE477 have priority at during the following times:

CSE467 A: Tuesday 1:30-4:20
CSE467 B: Thursday 1:30-4:20
CSE477: Wednesday 2:30-5:20 and Friday 2:30-5:20

You will be asked to vacate a bench if no others are available for those students. All other times are available to all students with a simple limit of 2 hours per sitting. A student already at a bench for 2 hours will need to vacate and take a turn at the end of the line. This restriction will only be put in place if things get really crowded.

Computer-Aided Design Software (Synario/XACT): This course will make heavy use of CAD software in the form of Synario and XACT. Synario includes schematic capture, VHDL programming, simulation and synthesis for PLDs andFPGAs. XACT is a suite of tools used for mapping circuits to Xilinx FPGAs. Synario is installed on the ten networked NT workstations (the one with names). XACT is installed on some subset of the lab PCs, so you will have to shift between machines to use it. The software is copy protected and any attempt to tamper with this mechanism or otherwise make illegal copies will be dealt with very severely and through the same channels as physical property theft. To defray the costs of acquiring this software we will require a lab use fee of $20 (a separate check payable to the University of Washington).

Pentium Computers: The Pentiums in 327 (as well as those in 232) are connected to the network and run under the Windows NT operating system. Accounts on the Pentiums will be provided to you by the first lab session. Please use the disk space associated with your account to store lab files. Also, practice common sense with respect to computer virus protection. If you use any other machines, get into the habit of always using an anti-virus program (one will be available on the lab machines). We reserve the right to reformat any local disk in the lab which we suspect to be infected or otherwise damaged or corrupted. In fact, we will regularly clean up all the disks in the lab to eliminate accumulated files and free up disk space. This policy will also protect you from plagiarism. Remember: do not leave any files on a lab machines - they may be gone when you return and/or someone else may put them to use.

Design Kits: Design Kits are portable kits that contain everything needed to complete the laboratory assignmentsthat. Project teams will check out DesignKits for the quarter (kits will be available the second week of the quarter). In the DesignKit will be a card for keeping track of extra items that you may need to check out during the quarter. We will need a $200 security deposit for the DesignKit.

Security: You will be given a personal entry code for the combination lock on the door of 327. The lock will keep track of when you enter the lab. Please make sure to keep the entry code to yourself. Unauthorized access to the lab leads at best to inconvenience and at worst to theft and equipment loss. All these harm you directly. The lab will be available for your use 24 hours a day. Do not allow ANYONE into the lab and make sure the windows and doors are locked at all times. We cannot guarantee that things you leave in the lab unattended will not be stolen. Unfortunately, there is a tradeoff between security and access. If you are all good citizens we should be able to have access and a secure environment. Stephen Lee, the engineering technician in charge of the lab, will be available during normal business hours. He will be the person from whom you will the combination lock codes. Any problems with laboratory equipment and/or software should be immediately reported to him. Do not remove any equipment, documentation, or tools from the room. Please see Stephen if you need to check out a manual or anything else overnight.

Money: You will need to bring two checks to the lab. One for $20 to defray the cost of the commercial software you will be using and a $200 security deposit for the DesignKits you will be issued and other materials, parts, tools, equipment, and documentation you may check out from the lab. Make checks out to the "University of Washington". These will be due by the end of the first week of class. The $200 checks will be returned at the end of the quarter when the DesignKits and any other parts, equipment, or documentation borrowed in the interim are returned in good shape. You will be held personally responsible for any damage to parts and equipment. The $20 checks will be cashed.


ebeling@cs.washington.edu