NGN 110 – Recitation 11- Group 04
COE Lab Report
Ammar Mahmoud b00059988
Dona Praveena g00060450
Lamis Kayyaal g00060188
Majd Alkhatib b00059274
Shakil Khan b00058548
Mr. Naveed Nawaz
Monday, November 10, 2014

Table of Contents
Introduction………………………………………………………… 03
Question responses …………………………………………………04
Conclusions………………………………………………………… 06

Introduction
Computer Engineering (COE) is the practice of designing, developing and building computers. It incorporates ideas from its own field and several other engineering fields to construct fast compact and efficient computer systems. COE's main concentrations include cyber security, artificial intelligence and networking.

In the COE lab, three applications of COE were demonstrated:

The first one was a video showing the control of electric train collision, where an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) system was used to avoid collision between two trains that had a common track. Switches controlled by sensors (which detect the position of the trains on the tracks) were used to stop a train while the other train moved through the common track. In the second demonstration, an FPGA based camera module was used to stream live video. A camera was used to capture data which the FPGA then converted into RGB (Red, Green and Blue) format for viewing on an LCD monitor via a VGA port. In the third demonstration, an EA Series Router was configured to its basic settings using a PC after which the PC was connected to a wireless client.

Question Responses
Application No. 1a- (FPGA based Electric Train Collision Control System): 1. What is the hardware and software components of the electric train control system? Name all of them.
Answer: Hardware: A personal computer and an Altera DE2 Board. Software: Quartus II 8.1 and Very High Speed Integrated Circuit Hardware Description Language (VHDL).

2. How many inputs are used in the electric train system? Where can you locate them on the DE2 board?
Answer: There are 18 input sensores located at the bottom left of the Altera DE2 Board.

3. What are the three main functions of the controllers output?
Answer: The three main functions of the controllers outputs are: to control the power set to the tracks, manage the direction of the trains and the position of the switches on the tracks.
Application No. 1b- (Video streaming using FPGA based Camera module): 1. Name the hardware components used in video streaming using FPGA based Camera module setup?
Answer: The hardwares that was used were a personal Computer, Altera DE2 Board, D5M Camera, and an LCD monitor.

2. Name the sensor used by the D5M camera and what is its frame rate?
Answer: The D5M Camera is equipped with a Micron 5 Mega Pixel CMOS sensor with a frame rate that reaches up to 15 frames per second (FPS).

3. What is the function of the FPGA on the DE2 board?
Answer: The FPGA on the DE2 board handles the image processing part; it converts the raw data to primary colors of RGB (Red, Green and Blue) format.
Application No. 2- (Configuration of an Integrated Wireless Router and Client): 1. Name the three device components of an Integrated Wireless Router.
Answer: A Router/gateway, a switch, and an access point.

2. What is the range of the Integrated Wireless Router’s Dual Band AC? What is its significance?
Answer: The range of the router is 2.4 and 5 GHz. The significance is that it maximizes the number of devices it can handle and helps avoiding interference, which is perfect for playing online games and browsing on high speed.

3. In a typical wireless network, which encryption protocol would you chose for security reasons and why?
Answer: There are 2 kinds of security mode: Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) and the Wireless Protected Access 2 (WPA2).We choose the Wireless Protected Access 2 because the encryption of the protocol is strong, while the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) has weak encryption.

4. What is DHCP? What is its function?
Answer: DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, it is a client which hires its network settings like the IP Address and the default gateway from the Wireless router.

Conclusions
In conclusion, computer engineers work on devices and systems to make life on earth more organized, safe and technologically advanced. Demonstrated in the computer engineering lab were two applications of such systems.
Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) based systems allow numerous advantages. For example, “FPGA Based Electric Train Collision Control System” allows safe and efficient movement of trains. The demonstration in class showed how this control system avoids collision between two trains moving along the same track. Commuting via trains is a very common means of public transport in many parts of the world. Thus, the FPGA based electric train collision system is an excellent choice to be implemented in such cities and countries.
“Video Streaming Using FPGA Based Camera Module” is another example of FPGA based systems. It allows effective capture and transmission of images from a camera to an LCD monitor. Its various features such as live images, captured images and dark or light images, adds to its benefits. PC cameras and smart phones use this system to process images and display them on an LCD monitor or mobile screen.
“Configuration of an Integrated Wireless Router and Client” was done using a Linksys Smart Wi-Fi Router. The device provides benefits like wireless access to the internet, easy configuration and security. With the use of a network password and WPA2 encryption key, one can share data and browse the internet safely. He can be assured that no one is going to intercept his data or steal his Wi-Fi password.