Nahid Hossain

I don’t know what do you think about assembly Language, but I took it as any other programming language. Yes ofcourse, it is harder than other languages.

Don’t think I’m here to lecture you on assembly coding. Trying to share a funny experience. Place NSU (North South University) Lab. Course ETE 482 : Advanced Electronics & Communications Lab-II. For some reason I’m not taking the name of the instructor but be sure that his name contains a R.

Experiment No. 10: Programming & Interfacing Intel 8255 microcontroller. The purpose of this experiment is to code in assembly and upload it to 8255 microcontroller.

The instructor provided a block of assembly code to compile, convert into hex file and upload to microcontroller board. And also changing some portion of the code to see what happens. To change the output I had to work and change with the following line of the code.

	MOV	AL,0FH		;initialize output data

	MOV	AL,00001111b		;initialize output data

This line initializes AL with the value of 00001111 in binary. For better understanding of LED lighting test I rewrite the 0FH to 00001111b and later change it to 01010101b, 10000001b etc. At this time the instructor came and saw that we (me and my group members) are using binary number instead of hexadecimal. He started telling that we were using the binary number so it was not working. I amazed because the code was working perfectly. We said “Sir, it is working”. Instructor said “O! It is working! Let’s see.” After doing some change with the code when it is still working he said “Hmm. it is working but it is better to use hexadecimal numbers.” The instructor didn’t able to answer the question of why. 

I worked with microcontroller previously, and always used binary. But they were in c, so I was little bit confused to argue with him. Later I came home and googled for it. But nowhere I found the restriction of the use of binary in assembly code.

My question is what way I should learn and do? I always look for better understanding and my comfortable ways for learning. I thing in this way I never lose my interest. But what will you say about this so called “High Quality Teacher” by NSU authority?

You may call my discussion as a personal attack. Ok, let me give some description of his teaching method. He is too much theoretical backed faculty always tries to make a pure theoretical course even if it is a laboratory course. Don’t want to believe me, just see the following mark distribution of above course.

The table is taken from his course outline of ETE 482. Only (25+5)% is practical in total 100%. When 70% marks are in theoretical events, what would you call it? Practical Course!!