Making asam boi drink for lunch

On 24 February 2025, I successfully prepared an asam boi drink for lunch time.

Preparation Process:

1. Salted Plum Soaking:

- Used 11 unit salted plums, weighing 45.9 g in total.

- Soaked them in 990.1 ml of warm water.  Around 45˚C to 55˚C.

2. Citrus Juice Addition:

-Used 55.5 g of lemon slices and 16.5 g of lime slices.

-Juiced the lemon and lime, then mixed the extract with the salted plum mixture.

-Added an additional 200 ml of water and blended the mixture again for consistency.

3. Final Touch:

-Incorporated 3 tablespoons of brown sugar for enhanced flavor [1].

Feedback & Observations:

-My colleague found it tastier compared to the one I made last Friday night during a stay-back session.

-Two other lecturers, who were also having lunch in the pantry, enjoyed the drink and refilled multiple times, confirming that the total water volume was sufficient for four people.

Conclusion:

The asam boi drink turned out well, with balanced flavors and an adequate serving size. Looking forward to making more refreshing variations in the future!

Disclaimer:

This drink is best consumed within one day of preparation for optimal freshness. If refrigerated, it should be consumed within two days due to the use of fresh citrus juice, which has a limited shelf life and may lose its quality over time.

Reference:

[1] My favorite type of brown sugar https://serinurulbeauty.blogspot.com/2023/10/my-favorite-brown-sugar.html

Helping out to test keypad function on SDK V4 board

This is taken on the evening of 21 February 2025. Where I stay back to assist for checking marks for students and those who wanted to test program keypad and DIP switch function on their SDK V4 board.

After Maghrib prayer time.

The look of my asam boi drink by 10 pm.

Near 10 pm.

After 10 pm.

The happy look after successfully program interrupt on the keypad to SDK V4 board. And present the functional keypad to the lecturer.

Worth the time spend for these students. Since they successfully program interrupt for keypad on their SDK V4 board.

It is my own initiative to stay back and monitor. Since the students have put on effort. So, I am willing to spare my time yo help out. As I also once student like them too.

Until then, have fun in program interrupt on keypad to SDK V4 board. 

Gifted lunch food by students of Microprocessor class

On the afternoon of 14 February 2025, Group 14 from the Microprocessor class generously gifted lunch to their lecturer, another student from my lab, and me as a token of appreciation for the time and effort we dedicated to helping them with their class assignment.

Before the lecturer and the male student left for Friday prayers, we took a photography session to commemorate the moment.

The look of the gifted food package. 

6 pieces of fried chicken. 

The portion taken by the male student of my lab.

The portion taken by the lecturer. For his tea break. It does helps a lot as after that he stay back to finished up his marking works.

My portion from the gifted food.

Receiving such appreciation from students was truly heartwarming. Despite offering my help as a voluntary effort, seeing their gratitude made it even more rewarding. They showed a greater willingness to learn and take initiative compared to the rest of their classmates.

Although I was not paid to assist them, this gesture made me feel appreciated for my time and dedication. Both their lecturer and I often remind students to show gratitude to those who help them. This principle is something we try to instill in them.

Beyond this meal, I also received a pack of chips from another group of students as a small thank-you for assisting with their classwork.

It’s always a joy to witness students practicing gratitude. Remember to appreciate those who help you. Whether through a meal, a simple thank you, or another thoughtful gesture.

Until next time, let’s continue spreading kindness and appreciation! 

Harvesting rambutan using long pole trimmer

This photo was taken on the evening of 24 January 2025, after I helped harvest ripe red rambutan fruits. My colleague had been talking about it for the past two weeks, and it was a rewarding experience after completing all the tasks below. The sweetness of the fruits made it worth enduring the bites from the angry weaver ants (kerengga) that swarmed me.

The students in the PCB Lab are seen here wrapping up their SDK V4 boards for the Microprocessor class assignment, right after the Jumaat prayer.

Later, students came to the Vecad Lab to show their progress on the SDK V4 boards and to collect extra components to replace those damaged by incorrect soldering techniques. They also picked up their marked Test 2 papers for the Microprocessor subject, after 5.20 pm.

A quick photography session was held to document that all students had taken their Test 2 papers and completed their soldered SDK V4 boards.

Until next time, enjoy the work and the full day's schedule!

The look of fully assembled SDK V4 board

This document details the SDK (System Development Kit) V4 board for the Microprocessor class, finalized and fully assembled as of noon on 20 January 2025. Below are the features and development process for the board:

Overview of the SDK V4 Board

Front View: The board features key interfaces for microprocessor learning.

Back View: Shows the compact and well-designed component layout.

Components:

• IC socket configured for the Black Pill STM32 microcontroller.
• LEDs, 7-segment displays, keypads, and DIP switches are provided on the SDK V4 board for students to program and observe output functionality.

Development and Contributions

The SDK V4 board was designed and developed by the UTM Johor Bahru team, led by:

1. Dr. Zulfakar Aspar, FKE, UTM : Primary contributor for concept and design.
2. Ryan, 3rd year, Electronic Undergraduate : Responsible for hardware design and PCB assembly.
3. Me : Focused on software testing, documentation, and manual creation.

The collaboration among team members was crucial for the successful development of this board.

Assembly Challenges

• Component Type: The SDK V4 uses SMD (Surface-Mount Device) components, which are small, fragile, and densely packed. This increases the complexity of soldering and assembly.
• Best Practices: Assembling components incrementally and testing each stage is essential. For example, Group 10 successfully tested and assembled one 7-segment display at a time before completing all four units, ensuring proper connections and functionality [1].

Programming Support

The SDK V4 board is compatible with the following development environments:

1. STM32CubeIDE
2. Keil uVision
3. Arduino IDE

For the Microprocessor class final exam, Keil uVision is the primary platform for questions involving assembly language programming. However, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with STM32CubeIDE for broader programming capabilities.

Conclusion

The SDK V4 board offers a practical learning platform for programming STM32 microcontrollers. It equips students with hands-on experience in both hardware and software development. 

Enjoy exploring the capabilities of the SDK V4 board and mastering the STM32 microcontroller!

Reference:

[1] Assembly Tip: Incrementally assemble and test components, such as connecting and testing individual 7-segment units, before proceeding to full assembly. This ensures connection accuracy and simplifies troubleshooting. Example done by Group 10, SKEE 3223: Microprocessors (Section 9 & 10), Semester 1-2024/2025.

https://youtube.com/shorts/FCHz6SIEJvg?si=8EWaoYNWsFDQHyCz