EC.S06 | Fall 2004 | Undergraduate

Practical Electronics

Calendar

The calendar below provides information on the lecture and lab sessions for the course.

Week 1

Labs: Lab 1: Course Introduction

Topics:

  • Course Mechanics
    • Goals of Subject
    • Safety Orientation
  • Fundamental Notions  
    • Current is flow of discrete charges  
    • Voltage is a measure of the (potential) energy of each charge
  • Ohm’s Law
  • Voltage and Current Dividers
    • Kirchoff’s Voltage and Current Laws

New Components:

  • Power Supply
  • Banana Cables and Alligator Clips
  • DMM
  • White Protoboard

Applications:

  • Scaling Signals

Key Dates: Homework 1 out

Week 2

Lectures: Lec 1: Resistors and Diodes

Labs: Lab 2: Resistors and Diodes

Topics:

  • Power Dissipation 
  • Resistors, Color Code, Power Rating 
  • Discuss diodes as one-way valves, introduce voltage drop 
  • Demonstrate exceeding the current limit on an LED! 
  • How to specify current-limiting resistors for diodes 
  • Note that reversed LEDs in parallel indicate the direction of current flow 
  • Three-pin Regulator (7805)

New Components:

  • Resistors (show resistors of same value but different power ratings)
  • LEDs
  • Potentiometers
  • 78xx Series Voltage Regulators

Applications:

  • Indicators
  • Power Supplies

Key Dates: Homework 2 out, Homework 1 due

Week 3

Lectures: Lec 2: Switches, Rectifiers and Function Generators

Labs: Lab 3: Bridge Circuits

Topics:

  • Discuss Switches
  • DPDT Knife Switch as to make AC “square” wave from DC
  • Introduce Bridge Rectifier

New Components:

  • DPDT Knife Switch
  • Function Generator
  • Oscilloscope
  • 9V Cell

Applications:

  • Rectifiers for AC-to-DC Conversion

Key Dates: Homework 3 out, Homework 2 due

Weeks 4–5

Lectures:

  • Lec 3: Capacitors 
    Lec 4: RC Circuits

Labs:

  • Lab 4: Oscilloscopes and Capacitors 
    Lab 5: Filters

Topics:

  • Introduce Capacitors
    • Water Analogy to Storage Tank
    • Describe their Composition
  • Discuss Charge Storage and E-field
  • State q = CV and E = CV/2 
    Derive differential equations for RC and show exponentials are solutions

New Components:

  • Capacitors

Applications:

  • Filters for: Ripple, Noise Removal, Sig. Detection, Equalization
  • Regulated Power Supply

Key Dates: Homework 3 due

Week 6

Lectures: Lec 5: Relays and Transistors

Labs: Lab 6: Relays and Transistors

Topics:

  • Electromechanical Relay
    • How it works
    • Specifications for Driving Coil
    • State need for Flyback Diode
  • Motors and their operation Bipolar Transistors as switches NPN only, properties under
    • No Bias
    • Linear Regime
    • Saturation

New Components:

  • DC Motor
  • E-M Relay
  • NPN Transistor

Applications:

  • Control of Lighting, Motion, the Universe, and Everything

Key Dates: Homework 4 out

Week 7

Lectures: Lec 6: Op-Amps

Labs: Lab 7: Op-Amps

Topics:

  • Op-Amps
    • Golden Rules
    • Analyze Inverting Amp
    • Discuss Behavior Near Rails
  • Some Limits on Applicability of Golden Rules
  • Comparators
    • Rules of Operation
    • Inverting Circuit
    • Non-Inverting

New Components:

  • 741 Op-Amp as Amplifier
  • 741 Op-Amp as Comparator

Applications:

  • Signal Conditioning, etc.

Key Dates: Homework 4 due

Week 8

Lectures: Lec 7: Flip-Flops and the 555 Timer Circuit

Labs: Lab 8: 555 Timer Circuit

Topics:

  • 555 Timers

New Components:

  • 555 Timer

Week 9

Lectures: Lec 8: Final Project Overview

Labs: Lab 9: Sensors

Topics:

  • CdS Cells as Sensors

New Components:

  • CdS Cell

Applications:

  • Many Robotic and Electro-mechanical Applications!

Week 10

Lectures: Lec 9: Final Project Concepts

Weeks 11–14

Key Dates: Final Presentations Due

Course Info

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As Taught In
Fall 2004
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Lecture Notes
Projects with Examples
Problem Sets with Solutions