Month: April 2025

BHE3233 Digital Systems Design – Week 6 – Running LED, Switch & Testbench Simulation

This week, students in the BHE3233: Hardware Description Language course took on three lab activities using the Altera DE10-Lite FPGA board. These labs were designed to deepen their understanding of digital logic design, from real hardware control to simulation-level debugging using testbenches.

Lab 1 Recap: LED Blinking with Verilog

Students developed a Verilog module to blink the 10 onboard LEDs one at a time in sequence, based on a timing counter. The project introduced:

  • always @(posedge clk)

  • Counter logic for delay generation

  • reg and assign statements for driving output

  • Pin assignment in Quartus

 

Lab 2 Recap: Real-Time LED Control Using Slider Switches

Students mapped the 10 slider switches directly to the 10 LEDs using basic combinational logic. This hands-on activity helped reinforce:

  • Use of continuous assignment (assign)

  • Bit-wise mapping between inputs and outputs

  • How to apply pin mapping in Quartus for SW[9:0] and LED[9:0]

Lab 3 Preview: Writing a Testbench & Understanding Timing Diagrams

To develop a testbench for both Lab 1 (LED Blinking) and Lab 2 (Switch to LED) designs, simulate the behavior using ModelSim, and interpret the timing diagram (waveform) to verify correct functionality.

  1. ModelSim (Intel FPGA Edition) for running simulations

  2. Waveform viewer for analyzing signal transitions over time

To Do

  1. Create a Testbench File for Each Design

    • Instantiate the DUT (Design Under Test)

    • Simulate clk signal (for Lab 1)

    • Apply appropriate test vectors (SW[9:0]) for Lab 2

  2. Run Simulation

    • Launch ModelSim from Quartus

    • Compile and simulate the testbench

    • Observe and save waveform output

  3. Analyze the Timing Diagram

    • For Lab 1: Check the blinking behavior of LED[current_led]

    • For Lab 2: Confirm that LED outputs match the SW inputs at each simulation step

Learning Outcome:

Students will visually interpret digital signal transitions through the waveform viewer in ModelSim, reinforcing:

    1. Propagation delay

    2. Clock edge behavior

    3. Signal assertion and response timing


CO1 Learning Outcome in Practice:

Apply Hardware Description Languages (HDL) to design, simulate, and verify digital circuits at the Register Transfer Level (RTL).

Lab 3 bridges the gap between coding and functional verification. Students now understand how simulation helps confirm logic correctness before moving to hardware.

What’s Next?

Next week, you will begin working on combinational building blocks like adders and multipliers, then explore state machines and RTL synthesis in depth.

and Midterm Test  🙂

BTE1522 Week 6 – Assignment – Code Modification

Today’s BTE1522 session was all about taking the class assignment slider game project to the next level—through code modification and applied programming. With their foundational game now complete (step 7), students were given a list of features to implement, each requiring a combination of Python programming concepts, critical thinking, and a bit of creativity!

In groups, students worked on implementing new functionalities into their existing slider game projects. Each modification involved one or more Python concepts and gave students the opportunity to explore real problem solving through game design.

No. Feature Programming Concepts Explored
1 Customizable Player Appearance User input, rendering, player attributes
2 Game Pause and Resume Event handling, game states, timers
4 Moving Obstacles Movement logic, collision detection, timers
5 Enemy Movement Patterns Custom functions, coordinate systems
9 Special Attacks for Player Event handling, rendering, custom functions
10 Multiplayer Mode Input handling, game states
14 Leaderboard Display File handling, string formatting, data persistence
17 Player Lives System Conditionals, variables, state management
18 Health Bar Display Rendering, variables, collision
20 Level System Level management, difficulty scaling

Each team selected a feature, explored the Python logic behind it, and began integrating it into their existing codebase. It was rewarding to see teams applying what they’ve learned about loops, conditionals, functions, and event handling in a hands-on way.

To push their understanding further, every group was given a “Level-Up” challenge—a task that required enhancing or optimizing their chosen modification. These challenges were designed to:

      1. Encourage deeper reflection on Python logic

      2. Promote code efficiency and modular design

      3. Help students explain the relationship between what their game does and the Python concept it’s based on

For example:

      1. Teams working on player lives were challenged to add a visual life tracker (hearts or icons).

      2. Those creating a multiplayer mode were asked to explore keyboard conflict resolution and responsive game states.

      3. The group managing the leaderboard was tasked to sort and persist scores across sessions.

Throughout the activity, students were encouraged to ask themselves:

    1. “What Python concept is being used here?”

    2. “How can I break down this functionality into smaller functions?”

    3. “How can I make this scalable if I wanted to add more features?”

    4. “Why code in such way? “

This reflection not only reinforces their coding skills but also helps students become intentional learners, capable of connecting code to concept.

To all the students, please submit your work via Tinta. make sure to include:-

      1. Python codes .py
      2. Readme.txt file to explain the code functionalities
      3. Project documentation in .doc format (please include the YT link of youe project) – due date April 25th.

 

UMPSA STEM Lab – Media and Information Literacy UNESCO IFAP

In the digital age, where information is just a click away and social media has become second nature, the ability to critically access, evaluate, use, and share information is more important than ever.

Recognizing this urgent need, UMPSA STEM Lab, in collaboration with UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP) Paris, launched the Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Program in 2023 — a long-term initiative aimed at promoting safe, informed, and ethical digital practices across all levels of society.

A Global Partnership with Local Impact

This program is the result of a meaningful partnership between a global entity and a local champion. In 2023, UNESCO IFAP Paris partnered with UMPSA STEM Lab to bring MIL education into Malaysian communities, schools, and higher education institutions. UNESCO Article.

With a shared goal to bridge the gap between digital access and digital wisdom, the program has since reached primary and secondary school students, university youth, educators, and local communities.

Media and Information Literacy (MIL)

MIL is more than just digital skills. It is a comprehensive framework that empowers individuals to:

  1. Access – Identify and locate reliable and relevant information.

  2. Evaluate – Analyze and assess the credibility, bias, and intent behind the information.

  3. Use – Apply information effectively and ethically for specific needs or decisions.

  4. Share – Communicate and disseminate information responsibly, respecting privacy and rights.

These four pillars of MIL guide every UMPSA STEM Lab outreach, ensuring that participants are not just users of media — but informed, critical, and ethical users.

Why MIL Matters Now

As digital media becomes increasingly integrated into daily life — from TikTok videos to online learning, from WhatsApp groups to e-commerce — people of all ages become more vulnerable to misinformation, privacy breaches, digital manipulation, and online harm.

Issues such as:

  1. Data privacy and digital footprints

  2. Misinformation and fake news

  3. Cyberbullying and identity theft

  4. AI-generated content and media bias

…are no longer niche concerns, but everyday realities.

That’s why awareness at all levels — from young children to university students, from parents to community leaders — is not just helpful, it’s essential.

Program Highlights So Far

Since 2023, the UMPSA STEM Lab MIL Program has:

  1. Conducted MIL workshops for school children as young as 6 years old, using storytelling and play-based learning.

  2. Delivered critical thinking and digital safety modules to teenagers and university students.

  3. Engaged local teachers and educators in integrating MIL into their teaching practice.

  4. Facilitated community sessions to promote digital responsibility among adults and parents.

Looking Ahead

UMPSA STEM Lab remains committed to expanding the MIL movement in Malaysia. With the continued support of UNESCO IFAP and local partners, we aim to:

  1. Train more facilitators across the country

  2. Develop localized MIL content and toolkits

  3. Reach 1,000+ school children and 100+ educators annually

  4. Encourage more universities to adopt MIL as part of their student development programs

  5. Research in MIL Assessment

We welcome collaboration with schools, NGOs, government agencies, and community groups to bring Media and Information Literacy to more people, especially those who need it the most.

Let’s build a digitally wise society — one that is informed, safe, and empowered.

???? For more info or collaboration, contact us.

#MILMalaysia #DigitalLiteracy #UMPSASTEMLab #UNESCOIFAP #SafeOnline #MediaLiteracy #MILforAll

Media and Information Literacy 2025/1 – SK Seri Biram

At the heart of a vibrant preschool in Pekan, a meaningful initiative took place — one that blends the joy of reading with the importance of digital literacy for young minds. The program, rooted in the spirit of Reading Makchixx, brought together passionate educators, enthusiastic children, and a mission to nurture responsible digital users from an early age.

The Reading Makchixx initiative was born right here in this very school back in 2018, with an original goal that was simple yet impactful — to encourage English book reading among preschoolers, cultivating a love for language and literacy.

As the program grew, so did its vision. In 2023, Reading Makchixx expanded through a meaningful collaboration with the UNESCO Information for All Programme (IFAP). With this new partnership, the program began to include modules on Media and Information Literacy (MIL) — a vital skill set for today’s digital world. A synopsis of this program is accessible via this link.

In an age where children are increasingly exposed to smartphones, tablets, and digital content, it’s never too early to start building their understanding of safe and ethical online behavior.

The four pillars of Media and Information Literacy guided the design of this initiative:

  1. Access – Teaching children how to search and find appropriate information.

  2. Evaluate – Helping them understand what is true and safe.

  3. Use – Using digital tools responsibly.

  4. Share – Learning to communicate and share with care.

For today session, the spotlight was on Digital Privacy — a topic often overlooked, especially for young children. While 5- and 6-year-olds may seem too young for such topics, their interaction with devices and apps makes them vulnerable to online threats.

Using playful activities, stories, and interactive visuals, we introduced the concept of privacy in a way preschoolers could relate to. From understanding the importance of not sharing personal information to knowing when to ask an adult for help, the 100 children of Pra SK Seri Biram learned that protecting themselves online is just as important as knowing their ABCs.

Thank you, Cikgu Zuraidah, for the dedication in helping us stay connected with the participants. We really appreciate your support!

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BTE1522 – Week 5 – Code Troubleshooting

This week in BTE1522, we focused on troubleshooting the Slider Game code as part of our hands-on approach to learning Python programming. Over the past four weeks, students had completed Steps 1 through 7 of the game development process — from designing a simple game window to implementing the “Game Over” condition.

In Week 5, we shifted our focus from building to refining.

Troubleshooting Score Logic
The session began with a debugging challenge: fixing the issue where the score kept increasing continuously whenever the player collided with the enemy. The expected behavior was that the score should increase by only 1 per collision. This led to an exploration of Boolean flags (such as collosion = False) and control logic — helping students understand how to track and limit events in game logic using conditional statements.

Implementing Countdown Timer
Next, students were challenged to modify the game’s default up-counting timer into a countdown timer. This exercise required them to revisit Python functions and logic structures. They learned how to set and decrease a timer, as well as how to trigger the “Game Over” condition when time reaches zero.

Debugging as a Learning Tool
Troubleshooting is a vital part of programming, and through this session, students experienced how debugging helps deepen understanding of syntax, logic flow, and structure in Python. Debugging isn’t just about fixing errors — it’s about making your code smarter and your logic stronger.

This week’s activity reinforced the idea that learning to program by building and breaking things — then fixing them — is one of the most effective ways to understand a programming language. Students left the class not just with working code, but with improved problem-solving skills and a stronger foundation in Python.