IT101 Microcontroller Programming Midterm Exam Reviewer Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core microcontroller concepts, Arduino programming functions, sensors, assembly instructions, and communication protocols based on the IT101 Midterm Exam Reviewer.

Embedded System

A system designed to perform a dedicated function within a larger system.

Microcontroller

An integrated circuit that integrates the CPU, memory, and peripherals on a single chip.

Harvard Architecture

A computer architecture that strictly separates data memory and program memory.

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

A primary component of the CPU that performs arithmetic and logical operations.

MOV A, B

An assembly language instruction that moves data from source register B to destination register A.

INC R0

An assembly language instruction that increments the value in register R0 by $1$.

JMP Instruction

An assembly language instruction used to perform unconditional branching.

NOP Instruction

An assembly language instruction that performs no operation.

CALL Instruction

An assembly instruction used to jump to a specific subroutine during program execution.

setup()

An Arduino function that executes once at the beginning of the program for initialization.

loop()

An Arduino function that runs repeatedly and continuously after the setup() function finishes.

delay(1000);

An Arduino function call that pauses program execution for $1$ second ($1000\text{ ms}$).

Serial.begin(9600);

An Arduino function that initializes serial communication at a baud rate of $9600$.

pinMode(13, OUTPUT);

An Arduino function that configures pin 13 to act as a digital output.

digitalWrite(13, HIGH);

An Arduino function that sets the voltage level of pin 13 to logic high.

digitalRead(2);

An Arduino function used to read the current digital state of pin 2.

analogRead(A0);

An Arduino function used to read values from an analog sensor connected to pin A0.

analogWrite(9, 128);

An Arduino function that generates a PWM signal with approximately $501/2$ duty cycle on pin 9.

LM35

A temperature sensor commonly used with Arduino.

LDR Sensor

A sensor designed to detect light intensity.

HC-SR04 Sensor

An ultrasonic distance sensor featuring four pins (VCC, GND, Trig, Echo) with a measuring range of approximately $2\text{ cm}$ to $400\text{ cm}$.

DHT11 Sensor

A sensor that provides both temperature and humidity readings.

PIR Sensor

A sensor used to detect motion.

Interrupt Service Routine (ISR)

A specialized function (e.g., void ISR()) that handles interrupt events immediately when triggered.

attachInterrupt()

The Arduino function used to attach an interrupt to a specified pin and callback.

UART Communication

An asynchronous serial communication method that operates using two dedicated data lines: TX and RX.

SPI Communication

A serial and synchronous four-wire communication protocol using MOSI, MISO, SCK, and CS/SS, where the master device controls the clock signal.

MISO

An SPI line standing for Master In Slave Out.

I2C Communication

A two-wire serial communication protocol using SDA and SCL that supports multiple masters and multiple slaves.

Wire.begin();

The Arduino function call used to initialize I2C communication.

Program Counter (PC)

A CPU register that tracks the address of the current or next instruction to be executed.

EEPROM

Non-volatile memory used to store configuration and user data that must remain saved even when power is removed.

Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC)

A microcontroller module that converts continuous real-world analog signals into digital values for CPU processing.

Stack Memory

A memory structure operating on a LIFO (Last In, First Out) principle used for function calls, local variables, and interrupt context saving.

Control Unit (CU)

The module inside the CPU responsible for directing the fetch, decode, and execute cycle.

RAM

Volatile memory used to temporarily store runtime data, variables, and the stack.

CPU Registers

Fast CPU storage used to hold operands and intermediate results for immediate processing.

Heap Memory

The region of memory used for dynamic memory allocation using functions such as malloc and free.

CS / SS Line

The Chip Select or Slave Select line in SPI communication used by the master to select a specific slave device.

Flame Sensor

A sensor that utilizes an IR receiver primarily to detect infrared light emitted by flames.

Rain Sensor

A sensor used for moisture detection that provides both analog and digital outputs.