Title: Analog Circuit Design
Credits: 5 (4 lecture; 1 lab)
Coordinator: R. Bruce Darling, Professor, Electrical Engineering
Goals: To teach modern analog system design techniques using the latest commercially available integrated circuit technology.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this course, students will be able to:
Textbook: S. Franco, Design with Operational Amplifiers and Analog Integrated Circuits, 3rd Ed., McGraw-Hill, 2002. ISBN # 0-07-232084-2
Reference Texts:
Prerequisites by Topic:
Topics:
Course Structure: The class meets for four lectures a week, each consisting of 50-minutes. Homework is assigned weekly for a total of 9 assignments over the quarter. A comprehensive final exam is given at the end of the quarter. Laboratory work constitutes a significant focus of the class and is organized into smaller laboratory sections, typically 24 students divided into 8 groups of 3 each, which meet weekly.
Computer Resources: HSPICE or PSPICE may be used for circuit simulation; Mathcad or MATLAB may be used for general purpose mathematical analysis; Filter Wiz may be used for filter design; SWITCAP may be used for switched capacitor filter simulation; and National Instruments LabVIEW may be used for computer controlled data acquisition and instrument control. HSPICE, PSPICE, and MATLAB are available in all of the general purpose computing laboratories in the EE Department. Filter Wiz and SWITCAP are distributed to the students as needed. LabVIEW is available in the room 137 EE1 laboratory, integrated with hardware for data acquisition and instrument control.
Laboratory Resources: The main electronics laboratory in room 137 supports this class with benches equipped with oscilloscopes, power supplies, function generators, digital multimeters, test leads, and computers equipped with GPIB controller and data acquisition PCI cards. Laboratory parts kits are available from the EE Stores, with sales of individual components as needed for the design projects. Students often order components of their own choosing from mail-order/web-based vendors.
Laboratory Structure: The laboratory consists of 3-4 major design projects given across the quarter. Examples of past design projects include:
Grading: Laboratory Design Projects (60%), Homework (25%), Final Exam (15%)
Outcome Coverage: This course provides the ABET major design experience and addresses the following outcomes:
Outcomes:
(a) An ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science and engineering. The vast majority of the lectures, homework and projects deal with the application of circuit theory to electronic system analysis and design. Mathematical formulations are commonplace throughout the course. (High relevance to course)
(b) An ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data. The course includes a weekly three hour session in our undergraduate electronics laboratory. Laboratory experiments include analysis, design, construction, and testing of specific electronic systems utilizing transistors, resistors, capacitors, integrated circuits, etc. The performance of each student in the laboratory is evaluated by the teaching assistant as part of the laboratory grade. (Medium relevance to course)
(c) An ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability. Most of the homework problems and all of the laboratory design projects are phrased in terms of realistic constraints such as cost, size, weight, power consumption, alignment ease, component variation, and manufacturability. (High relevance to course)
(e) An ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems. Both the homework and laboratory design projects involve a large component of solving engineering problems. The laboratory design projects are open-ended and additionally require the students to identify and formulate the principle issues associated with the engineering problems. (High relevance to course)
(g) An ability to communicate effectively. Students receive written guidelines on proper format and writing style for laboratory reports on the class homepage. For each of the design projects, each group is required to write a laboratory report in the required format. The laboratory reports are graded for writing style as well as technical content. (Medium relevance to course)
(i) A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning. This is a course on modern electronic circuit design. The systems the students design are made up of integrated circuit components, resistors, capacitors, etc. These building blocks change rapidly with time as new faster, better, cheaper components replace older ones. The students recognize in a direct way the rapid changes and the need to stay current in the field. (Medium relevance to course)
(k) An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice. Students use many computer design aids in this course. Industry-standard circuit simulators, PSPICE or HSPICE, are used routinely throughout the course for homework and design projects. Mathematical programs, such as Matlab or MATHCAD are used for higher level calculations and simulation. Filter design packages such as FILTER WIZ are used for active filter design, and the switched capacitor filter simulator SWITCAP is used for switched capacitor network evaluation. Industry-standard LabVIEW is also used for laboratory data acquisition and instrument control. (High relevance to course)
ABET Criterion 4 Considerations
Engineering standards – Students must develop their laboratory design projects to meet specific performance specifications, some of which include benchmark testing or compliance testing against accepted standards for performance and safety.
Realistic constraints – Each of the laboratory design projects, in addition to having explicit electrical performance specifications, is fundamentally phrased and graded in terms of the final solution’s size, weight, cost, power consumption, alignment ease, component variability, and manufacturability criteria.
Prepared By: R. Bruce Darling
Last Revised: 04/29/2007