Introduction:

The development or writing of software is only one piece of a puzzle.  It is important for a programmer to understand and work through the entire problem solving sequence before attempting to write software.  This site will outline the steps necessary to solve a problem and implement a solution. 

After covering the basic problem solving sequence, this site will continue with the other tools necessary to develop a solution.  The site will cover the development of algorithms to solve given problems.   Flowcharting will be used to aid in the visualization of the algorithm(s) and as a tool to convert the algorithm into working C software.  The C programming language will be covered as a tool to implement a solution to the given task. 

The C programming language has several advantages associated with it when compared to assembly or other high level languages.  These advantages make the C language well suited for use with microcontrollers.  Once the C software has been written, it must go through a process to create the actual software that is loaded into the microcontroller.  The creation of software should also follow a set of standards.  Standards aid in the readability and maintainability of software. 

This site will utilize examples to illustrate the topics being discussed.  In addition, this site offers a number of references to aid in the development of microcontroller software.  These references include sections from the Atmel data sheets, information on interrupts, number conversions, the ASCII character table, lab hardware, and options for programming the microcontroller with the desired source code.

This site has been specifically developed to lead the student through the entire process.  However, the individual sections can be used as standalone references.  The navigation window on the left has a listing of the topics under the C Programming heading.  The intended sequence starts with the introduction (this page) and proceeds down the list starting with Problem Solving.  The process continues until the bottom of the list is reached.  The information located under the References section is not intended to be part of the lessons covered under this site.  They are merely intended to provide a quick reference to additional information that the student may require.  In addition to these links, the top banner also has a set of links to other web sites that the student may desire to access.