KEYPAD PROJECT
Digital Electronics (Engs 31)
SKILLS
VHDL
Digital Electronics Design
CHALLENGE
Create a function keypad that locks, unlocks, and creates new passwords using digital electronics concepts
OVERVIEW
Our culminating project for my digital electronics class was to complete a project utilizing the concepts we learned throughout the summer semester. My partner and I choose to create a keypad that could lock, unlock, and allow new codes to be entered. Because I was working with digital electronics, an alien subject to me, I learned the importance of perseverance and attention to detail when working through problems.
MY CONTRIBUTIONS
Process
This project began by creating state diagrams to ensure we understood how we intended our system to work. Our state diagram, figure 2, gave a detailed view of the states we would move through during our keypad process. Next, I was tasked with coding the method to read the numbers in from the keypad and into the MUX 7-segment display. This task was more difficult than predicted because of the nature of the keypad. Instead of simply outputting a potion for what key was pressed, the keypad sent rows low and columns high when a particular key was pressed. Once I determined the method we would use, I created a detailed state diagram, block diagrams, and waveform to confirm our program was functioning as intended.
IMPACT & CONCLUSION
Because I was completely unfamiliar with digital design prior to this class, this project presented many hurdles. However, I learned how to approach these difficult problems with perseverance and attention to detail. This project shows the value of persistence when dealing with difficult projects where unforeseen challenges may arise. I loved the challenge of being in an unfamiliar setting and I grew as an engineer from this experience.