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Component 2 Application of Electronics

4 dot points across 4 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How is a microcontroller programmed in assembly language to read inputs, make decisions and drive outputs?

Assembly language programming: instructions and registers, reading inputs and writing outputs, branching and loops, delays, and the program development cycle (flowchart, code, assemble, test).
An Eduqas A-Level Electronics answer on assembly language programming: instructions and registers, reading input pins and writing to output pins, branching and looping for decisions and repetition, generating delays, and the flowchart-code-assemble-test development cycle required for the non-exam assessment.
14 min answer →

What is inside a microcontroller, and how does it connect to the inputs and outputs of a system?

Microcontroller architecture: the CPU, memory and input/output ports, digital input and output pins, pull-up and pull-down resistors, and the analogue-to-digital converter and PWM peripherals.
An Eduqas A-Level Electronics answer on microcontroller architecture and interfacing: the CPU, memory and input/output ports, digital input and output pins with pull-up and pull-down resistors, and the built-in peripherals (analogue-to-digital converter, PWM, timers) that connect the microcontroller to the real world.
13 min answer →

How is a complete electronic system designed as subsystems, built, tested and evaluated for the non-exam assessment?

System design and realisation: the systems approach (input, process, output and power subsystems), block diagrams, systematic testing and fault-finding, evaluation against a specification, and health and safety.
An Eduqas A-Level Electronics answer on system design and realisation for the non-exam assessment: the systems approach of input, process, output and power subsystems, block diagrams, systematic testing and fault-finding, evaluating a build against its design specification, and health and safety in construction.
13 min answer →

How does a microcontroller connect safely to sensors and to motors, and how does feedback close the loop?

Interfacing a microcontroller: input interfacing (signal conditioning, switch debouncing, the ADC), output interfacing (transistor and MOSFET drivers, relays, motor control with PWM and an H-bridge), and the closed-loop control system.
An Eduqas A-Level Electronics answer on interfacing a microcontroller: conditioning and reading sensor inputs (including switch debouncing and the ADC), driving outputs safely through transistor, MOSFET and relay drivers, controlling motor speed and direction with PWM and an H-bridge, and the structure of a closed-loop control system.
13 min answer →