CS 3651 - Prototyping Intelligent Appliances
Spring 2018
TR 9:30AM - 10:45AM
CCB 337
Staff Contact
Instructor
Dr. Thad Starner
thadstarner@gmail.com (please include [cs3651] in subject line)
Teaching Assistants
Chad Ramey
charlesdramey@gmail.com (please include [cs3651] in subject line)
Marc Lacayo
mlacayo6@gatech.edu (please include [cs3651] in subject line)
Course Overview
CS 3651, Prototyping Intelligent Appliances, is designed to provide a practical, hands-on
experience to device development. The course material focuses on elementary electronics
building, microcontroller development, hand skills, and inventive problem solving.
Grading Policy
10% Quizzes
● Quizzes may occasionally be given to assess completion of readings and other
pre-class learning activities assigned.
40% Skill Demos
● Much of the course will focus around applying the lessons learned from readings and
other pre-class learning activities. These demonstrations will be assigned in class, and
will be due by the beginning of class on the date indicated.
● 10% of the possible points for the assignment will be deducted for each class period of
delay in the submission of a skill demonstration.
50% Class Project
● The latter segment of the course will focus on the completion of an independent group
project that relates to the materials covered in this course. The project grade will be
subdivided as follows:
○ 30% Work
○ 10% Presentation
○ 10% Documentation
Letter Grades
Letter grade assignments are given according to the following cutoffs with no rounding:
● 90.0 <= A
● 80.0 <= B < 90.0
● 70.0 <= C < 80.0
● 60.0 <= D < 70.0
● 0 <= F < 60.0
Lab Hours/Access
Upon completion of the safety overview (in class), students will be given Buzzcard access to the
CCB laboratory. The CCB is locked outside of normal class/business hours, so access may be
limited overnight.
In addition, instructors will be in the lab at certain times (in addition to during scheduled class
time) to provide support for completing coursework. Currently, these hours are as follows, but see the home page on t-square for the most up-to-date information:
Chad: Thurs 3:15pm-5:15pm, Weds 10:30-12:30 CCB337
Marc: Mon 1:15-2:45, Thurs 3:00-6:00 CCB337
Thad: Mon 6:00pm-8:00pm TSRB239 Thurs 11-11:30 CCB337 if there is no invited faculty candidate talk. See Thad's travel on his web page
Access to other lab spaces, such as the GVU Prototyping Lab, is given at the discretion of the
lab manager associated with the space.
Course Expectations
1. Keep up with the readings and videos. These should be completed before class on
the date indicated on the Calendar.
2. Take responsibility for your coursework submissions; it is your job to make sure that
you successfully turned in what you meant to turn in. Be sure to verify your submission.
It is how you make sure that you get credit for the work you do.
3. Be prepared when you go to get help from a TA or your instructor. Bring your work
with you.
4. Expect to leave some time free during the open lab hours. If you have other classes schedule during all of these hours, let us know.
5. Take initiative. Begin your assignments early and if you think you need help, come prepared. Use the resources that are provided for you, and be determined to succeed from the start.
6. Read, understand, and follow the Georgia Tech Academic Honor Code