ELECTRONICS DESIGN

Course Code

EG 1501

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr D Hendry

Pre-requisites

EG 1008

Co-requisites

EG 1503

Overview

• Charges, charge per unit length, area and volume, dimensional analysis, forces on charges, Coulomb’s law, Millikan’s experiment, electric field and its units, work on a charged particle, voltage and its relation to electric field. Voltages and electric fields at the surface of a conductor. The parallel plate capacitor, Q=CV, forces on parallel plates; Electrostatic energy; dielectrics; Capacitors as circuit components, ac impedance. The electrostatic loudspeaker. (5 lectures)


• Magnetic fields, magnets and compasses; Magnetic field due to a current carrying conductor; Visualising magnetic fields; Forces on a current carrying conductor; simple DC electric motors; The Earth’s magnetic field; Magnetostatic energy; simple magnetic materials; the inductor, ac impedance the solenoid; the transformer . (7 lectures)


• Semiconductor devices: semiconductors, dopants, p-type, n-type, the p-n junction and the diode equation; the photodiode, camera sensors, opto-isolator; the bipolar transistor and its circuit behaviour; the common emitter amplifier; FETs and the MOSFET, simple logic circuits (inverter, NAND, NOR); the Thyristor and the Triac. (8 lectures)


• The SPICE circuit simulator; entering a simple circuit; types of analyses; (3 lectures)


• Circuit theory: Kirchoff’s laws and examples of their application; Thevenin and a better common emitter amp; Norton; Applications to operational amplifier circuits; Differentiating circuits, integrating circuits. (5 lectures)


• The light shield design example, use of a photodiode to detect incoming light as a means of protecting a “priceless artefact” using a solenoid and mechanical slotted device. (2 lectures)

Structure

30 one-hour lectures, 12 one-hour tutorials and 5 two-hour laboratory/design sessions.  Detailed schedules are provided separately.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 three-hour written examination (80%) and continuous assessment based on laboratory/design exercises (20%).

Resit: 1 three-hour written examination (80%) and continuous assessment based on laboratory/design exercises (20%).

Formative Assessment

Students will have their log book and lab reports assessed on several occasions during the half session, and these will be returned to them with markers' comments. There will also be opportunities for informal formative assessment and feedback in the weekly tutorial sessions.

Feedback

The return of marked coursework (log books and lab reports) will provide formal feedback to the students. Informal feedback will be provided during weekly tutorial sessions.