I'm more into smart homes and web-related stuff. Preferably a project with a balance mixture of hardware and software.

Atm, these are the few projects in mind:
1. Text compression - compressing text files up to 1/8 of its original size by combining several compression techniques. Eg: Limpel-Ziv, Codebook, Huffman, etc

2. Blind equalization algorithm - Makes blind equalizes to correct channel distortions when tx & rx data even if the sequence is unknown

3. Something to do with biometrics, audio and visual authentication

4. Face detection system - alert whenever cctv detects a face

5. SMS Related

I am actually thinking of a project with a commercial value as well

...then you may get a kick out of this!

Detection right, not recognition? Detection is pretty simple... well I guess you can always make it as complicated as you like, but I've seen a pretty simple one in the past that worked well considering the level of effort. But algorithmic simplicity is good, you can have fun putting together an application specific system on an FPGA, or download the Cell BE simulation suite and implement the algorithm on that platform.

I did rudimentary face detection on an FPGA once, but it wasn't for a graded project. But face detection on a commodity RISC... I dunno... the compilers do a lot of the work for you, I doubt an implementation there would warrant high marks, there would have to be some novel algorithmic work if you ask me.

I would suggest you do this project only if you have a supervisor who can walk you through the pattern recognition algorithms. If you have to muck around in Matlab implementing and testing various algorithms you may not have enough time to really enjoy the real-time implementation side of things. The same is true for any project really, if you have your heart set on real-time implementation work.

Unless of course you're keen on digging into the algorithms themselves, in which case more power to you.

Good luck!

balance between hardware and software? but most topic that u suggest are more towards software side or can be done purely by software

i'm not sure about topics 1 & 2, but i think topic 2 is more to dsp since equalizations are related to filters in the first place
topic 3....i'm quite sure is purely software, just can't recall wat software they are using, will get back to u on this
topic 4 can be done using labview or matlab
topic 5 is can be done using java, my college last time did some that are related to security or parking ticket

Yup that's what i thought as well, these are mostly (software) algorithms. What you can do is implement them in ASIC/FPGA.

Implementing fast compression/decompression in hardware looks most interesting to me, but i don't know how much hardware background you have.

I am actually not very good in programming. Neither in hardware. Thats the reason that I'm looking for something in between. References for the projects I proposed earlier could be obtained. Some of them are continuation of my seniors projects.

What kind of hardware/software do you have access to?

FPGA is good enough. You can implement compression/decompression or digital signal processing ability with VHDL or Verilog. Last time I've bought Xilinx Spartan 3 for about RM650 including shipping from US. I think it has more than enough gates for final year project. Well, u can try Altera Max / Flex10k series too, as I've heard Spartan 3 has some hardware bug.

hi,

i want to ask does anyone try something on microstrip circuit before??
my FYP is to design a microstrip hairpin bandpass filter, still no idea....

ONE big question, like most of u guys point out, most of these knowledge r forgotten cause maybe = no demand for such skills in Malaysia, I hav no idea.

Anyway to make it big with this sort of know how is that HOPEFULLY some of u r REALLY capable of designing "MalaysiaBolehPentium tm" computer chip so that we have cheaper & FASTER+RELIABLE option compared with AMD and Intel.

Remember, that degree, Master, PHd r just a piece of papers, Malaysia hav plenty of them. It's only that u invent, design something spectacular will then make urself spectacular in the eyes of the others...


This post has been edited by lgolgo: Jul 13 2006, 11:24 AM

Designing a full fledged x86 CPU these days is not easy. To start from scratch, you would need billions of dollars. I don't think it's feasible to successfully penetrate this market given the situation today. As you can see, the market is consolidating right now because development costs (especially for manufacturing) are prohibitively expensive.

There are plenty of other growing markets, which i think a few people with some knowledge can successfully penetrate. And this is what we should be looking at before it's too late.

True, but they r alternatives. Like a person designing a chip and the outsource the manufacturing part to some other company like TSMC. I suppose that will cut down the cost tremendously. I don't know about chip design, but I suppose if one is really smart he/she can design it and just outsource the manufacturing stuff.

Forgot to add if u're bumiputra which I presume, u got gomen to feed u somemore which u design a super chip.
Its probably already too late for us Malaysia to penetrate those growing market which u speak of, The Chinese, Korean, Japanese r so way ahead of us in these market, Cost u say, we can't beat the Chinese, Inovation u say, doubt we can beat the Korean or Japanese. They is only one way IMHO, BEING NUMBER 1

I know it's hard, but nobody said it was easy...

This post has been edited by lgolgo: Jul 13 2006, 11:57 AM

TSMC manufacturing process technology is way behind the leaders. A CPU depends a lot on the manufacturing process for performance improvements because it is clocked very high compared to say, a GPU. There are plenty of other alternatives besides manufacturing CPUs, which would be a better choice for such arrangements.


Nothing good ever comes easy.
I don't understand, you say the only way is being number 1, then you say we can't beat anyone. So what is your point?

That's the whole point, it is so hard to break into these market when the Chinese, Koread and Japanese r so way ahead of us.

So I hope I'm wrong that they r some malaysian capable of making it to No 1, ppl r still buying from American company like Intel and AMD because they r number 1 when it comes to the CPU, imagine china's ABC company produce a x-86 cpu that is no 1 in term's of performance, reliability and cost. who do you think ppl r going to be buying from next.

So my point is only by becoming NO 1 if any Malaysian is capable of will we FOR SURE have a successful Malaysian CPU company, if we were no 2, 3,4,5 and so on, then we'll probally never win China or Korean or the Japanese.

I guess the real question is not money but skill, the money will pay for developing and implementation of the manufacturing process required. Look @ proton, the govmen give them so much money but no results.

This post has been edited by lgolgo: Jul 13 2006, 12:35 PM

Well, i hope you're number 1 in whatever you're doing too, else your preaching might come across as being weird

I will leave out proton and what seems to be your personal sentiment (such as your bumi comment) out of this discussion. The money is as important as the skill if you want to fight with the big guys. Because the money not only builds the plants; it also buys the skill. If you want to be the best, you need the best people. And you can't expect the best people to work for anything but the best pay right

This post has been edited by ikanayam: Jul 13 2006, 12:47 PM

I'm definitely not number 1 in what I do because I don't need to be number 1 to survive, but that's not the point, we're talking CPU here and how to be successful in that business, like u said a lot of money is involve, not no1 == not successful == no money! no money== how to maintain all those expensive worker and super expensive machine??? canoot maintain == CLOSE SHOP == WASTING money right, you get the whole picture now right???

I thought u r a bumi, I read somewhere, no pun intended...I guess you're a little mad about the bumi comment, its not personal sentiment mind u, I thought u really r one which make it easier for bumi to get loan which will definitely get since this is an ambitious project and also easier to get the license required to produce chip, that what I mean by bumi, nothing else. If u're not a bumi, then this don't apply to u, simply as that

This post has been edited by lgolgo: Jul 13 2006, 12:57 PM

You don't have to be no 1 in the CPU industry to survive (ask AMD hahaha). But you cannot afford to be left behind, as is true for any industry/business. And is true for life in general. Being the best is of course the extra mile that some people choose to go.

My race does not matter. I believe in pure capitalism and people should earn everything they have, and competition is good because it pushes people to improve (or die/go bankrupt if they don't). And i'm not hoping for our government, especially the one of recent years, to be smart or thoughtful enough to invest in such a project. I do not see this changing in the near future

Also i think it's not wise to go up against the big boys in what they are best at. Finding a niche and gaining a strong foothold there would be a much better idea. Of course that's just what i think, perhaps some ppl are convinced otherwise.

edit: Sorry for the earlier cold shoulder (or headbutt, whichever way you like it ), you kind of hit a nerve there

This post has been edited by ikanayam: Jul 13 2006, 01:20 PM

AMD were no 1 quite a while ago and they make quite a lot of money right. Anyway its no big deal. I wish u the best of luck then, who knows, u might set up the next Intel or AMD who will free all Malaysian and the world from Intel and AMDand nvidia money sucking vampires..

Business is meant to earn money. The more u earn, the easier u expand. Intel knows how to market and therefore become the giant in CPU industry. I'm glad to let them suck my money bcoz in return i got something great from them. If they dont suck money, where to get the fund to do R&D for humankind?

I'm also a "money sucking vampire", like any good capitalist


Yes it is exactly as you say. Good businesses work for maximum profit - they are not charities.

Building a CPU is very difficult. It involves VERY BROAD knowledge, in terms of architecture, micro architecture, synthesis, floorplanning, VLSI, chemistry, physics, and a lot more. Do u think Malaysia has experts in every field? It takes Intel 30 years to become a giant starting from the best of the best engineers at that time. What Malaysia has now? Sadly most of us dont even have enough knowledge to understand the in depth design of an outdated Pentium Pro. How can we compete with Intel/AMD/nvidia which have many years of experience and great knowledge in their field? It is not impossible, but near impossible.