ARM Cortex-M Interfacing with Keyboards and LCD's (FREE! )

This course takes a step-by-step practical approach on how to write drivers and libraries that will allow your Cortex-Microcontroller to talk to Keyboards and Liquid Crystal Displays. It goes on to provide optimization methods such as accessing the LCD with 4-bits rather than 8-bits and also  programming keyboards using the  matrix arrangement approach. 

We will start by differentiating between GPIO and SPIO, this will give students the understanding on how registers relates to IO ports then we shall write out the code to see how these registers actually work with inputs and outputs.

We shall look at how to write our own LCD Drivers and Libraries, we shall take a look at the pinout and how we interface with the microcontroller, take a look at how we control the shift registers inside the LCD, then we shall go on to code our own driver and library.The last section of the LCD chapter deals with writing data in 4-bits to reduce the number of IO pins used for LCD.

The final chapter of the course deals with interfacing to keyboards, I will introduce how keyboards also conserve the number of IO pins by using the matrix arrangement and then we shall go on to write our keyboard driver and library. In a nutshell, this are the key areas we shall be looking at in this course :

• Keyboard driver and library coding
• LCD driver and library coding
• LCD 4-bits data transfer
• Keyboard matrix arrangement

If you interested in having bare-metal level access to keyboards and LCDs  then this course is for you.

--- **Course Overview and Rating:** The course in question receives a global rating of 3.95 from recent reviewers, with varying feedback highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement. **Pros:** - **Engaging Content**: Reviewers acknowledge that the material presented in the course is engaging and well-organized, with some noting that it was helpful and clear when it came to LCD programming information and pinout details. - **Instruction Quality**: Israel Gbati's delivery of the course is commended for being easy to understand and enjoyable, with at least one reviewer recommending his courses to friends interested in robotics and mechatronics. - **Algorithm Explanation**: The way the instructor approaches algorithm design during lectures is considered very effective, suggesting that this aspect of the course could be a highlight. - **Logical Presentation**: The information is presented logically and in chronological order for practical implementation, which has been praised for its utility in actual project work. **Cons:** - **Audio Quality**: A recurring issue mentioned by several reviewers is the poor quality of the audio recordings. Some suggest a better microphone or the use of a digital filter to mitigate white noise. - **Course Presentation Clarity**: The presentation style in some instances is described as "dry" and some slides were noted to be out of order, indicating room for improvement in presentation clarity and flow. - **Technical Coverage**: Some reviewers pointed out that the course could benefit from a more comprehensive approach, including more quizzes, additional questions, or practical projects based on the knowledge imparted. Additionally, there is a suggestion to include more about SPI modules and fewer details on less common display modes like 4bit LCD working mode. - **Specificity in Instruction**: There are concerns that the course is too specific for those already familiar with Tiva C microcontrollers, potentially at the expense of beginners who may not have the same background knowledge. It's suggested that the instructor should introduce more details about the controller pins, header files, and register operations. - **Resource Availability**: A few reviewers mentioned the lack of downloadable source code and written explanations as resources. They suggest that providing these materials could enhance the learning experience. - **Pace and Detail**: Some reviewers felt that there were unnecessary delays in explaining certain topics or an overemphasis on specific details, suggesting a need for better pacing and focus on more relevant information. **Additional Notes:** - **Mother's Sleep Factor**: One reviewer humorously notes the potential for the course being recorded during the night at home, with the instructor being mindful not to disturb his sleeping mother. - **Expectation Management**: A reviewer points out that expectations should be set appropriately for who this course is targeted at, indicating it may be more advanced than advertised. **Conclusion:** The course offers valuable content for those interested in embedded programming and LCD programming, with a particular emphasis on the Tiva C microcontroller. However, improvements to audio clarity, pacing, and potential broadening of technical coverage would enhance its overall quality and accessibility to learners at different levels of expertise. The positive feedback on the course's content and the instructor's teaching methods indicates that with some refinements, this could be an excellent resource for students in electronics and programming.