IT101 Microcontroller Programming Midterm Exam Reviewer Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core microcontroller concepts, assembly instructions, Arduino C syntax, sensors, hardware memory, and communication protocols from the IT101 midterm reviewer.

Embedded System

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

Microcontroller

An integrated chip that combines CPU, memory, and peripherals on a single chip.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The component in a microcontroller responsible for executing program instructions.

ROM or Flash Memory

Memory used to store the program code in a microcontroller.

I/O Ports

Peripherals in a microcontroller used for communication with external devices.

Harvard Architecture

An architecture that physically separates data memory and program memory.

ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)

A CPU sub-unit that performs arithmetic and logical operations.

MOV A, B

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

INC R0

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

JMP

An assembly language instruction used for unconditional branching.

NOP

An assembly language instruction that means 'no operation'.

CALL

An assembly language instruction used to jump to a subroutine.

setup()

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

loop()

An Arduino function that runs repeatedly after setup() has completed.

int x;

The correct syntax to declare an integer variable named x in Arduino C.

delay(1000);

An Arduino function call that causes program execution to pause for $1$ second.

Serial.begin(9600);

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

pinMode(13, OUTPUT);

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

digitalWrite(13, HIGH);

An Arduino function that sets pin $13$ to logic high.

digitalRead(2);

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

analogRead(A0);

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

analogWrite(9, 128);

An Arduino function that generates a PWM signal with approximately $50\text{\%}$ duty cycle on pin $9$.

LM35

A temperature sensor commonly used with Arduino.

LDR Sensor

A sensor that detects light intensity.

HC-SR04

An ultrasonic sensor used to measure distance within an approximate range of $2\text{ cm}$ to $400\text{ cm}$, featuring VCC, GND, Trig, and Echo pins.

DHT11

A sensor that provides temperature and humidity readings.

PIR Sensor

A sensor designed to detect motion.

Interrupt

A signal triggered when a specific event occurs to execute immediate processing outside normal loop execution.

attachInterrupt()

The function used to attach an interrupt event in Arduino.

ISR (Interrupt Service Routine)

A function (e.g., void ISR()) that executes to handle interrupt events.

UART

An asynchronous serial communication method that uses $2$ wires (TX and RX) without requiring a shared clock.

TX and RX

The two main communication lines used in UART data transmission.

SPI

A synchronous serial communication protocol utilizing $4$ main lines (MOSI, MISO, SCK, CS/SS), where the master device controls the clock signal.

MISO

An SPI pin designation standing for Master In Slave Out.

I2C

A $2$-line communication protocol (SDA and SCL) that allows multiple masters and multiple slaves.

SDA and SCL

The two signal lines used for data and clock timing in I2C communication.

Program Counter (PC)

A microcontroller register that tracks the memory address of the current or next instruction.

EEPROM

Non-volatile memory commonly used to store persistent configuration and user data even when power is removed.

ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter)

A module used to convert continuous real-world analog signals into digital values that the CPU can process.

Stack Memory

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

Control Unit (CU)

The sub-component inside the CPU that directs the fetch, decode, and execute cycle.

RAM

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

CPU Registers

Fast internal CPU storage areas used for holding operands, intermediate calculation results, arithmetic, logic, and control operations.

Heap

The dynamic memory allocation area used with memory allocation 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 equipped with an IR receiver that primarily detects infrared light.

Rain Sensor

A sensor designed to commonly provide both analog and digital outputs.