Course Syllabus
Instructor Information
- Instructor's name: Isaac Rex
- Instructor's email address: irex@iastate.edu
I have not been assigned an office so I don't currently have official office hours. You can email me at any time and I'll get back to you ASAP. We can also set up a time to meet in person. If it seems like it will be useful, I will figure out a time and place to hold office hours.
Course Format
This course will be administered in person. The lab work is a critical part of the learning outcomes of this course. Lectures will cover design practice and common circuits, labs will cover practical skills, and you will have two projects to complete which will make up the core of your experience and grade. The projects can be done individually or in groups–this is up to you.
Classes meet: MWF 8:50am-9:40am
Labs meet: F 2:15pm-5:05pm
Room: Pearson 2125
Lab: Coover 2011
Course Goals and Learning Objectives (CO)
Upon completing this course, students will be able to do the following:
CO 1: Apply the basic skillset to design schematics and PCBs using industry standard practices
CO 2: Apply the basic skillset involved in real-world circuit analysis
CO 3: Recognize a collection of basic building-block circuits
Course Materials
The book for this class will read more like a reference manual than a textbook. It's a phenomenal book to have on hand and I have used it myself in industry designs. We will be using circuits from it and building/testing them in class. Additionally, we'll be using a circuit simulator to explain concepts and I encourage you to use the same tools in your design projects.
Required materials
- Art of Electronics by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill (Any edition, but the third is well worth the investment)
- LTSpice (preferred) or Falstad
Learning Activities and Assessments
Learning Activities
To successfully complete this course, students will do the following:
- Read assigned chapters (as needed)
- Come to lecture
- Participate in discussion topics
- Complete quizzes and exams
- Complete both class projects (note that "completion" doesn't necessarily imply "working"...this is engineering)
Assessments
Quizzes (5):
There will be (about) five in-class quizzes throughout the semester. These will be designed to meter what you're learning and what we need to focus on. They'll typically be ~20 minutes and you're welcome to discuss them with others. Quizzes will be announced ahead of the day they're given.
Homework (5):
There will be (about) five homework assignments throughout the semester. These will be designed to exercise your circuit analysis and circuit design skills. There will be very little math involved (at least by requirement), but you will have to apply design thinking.
Labs (4):
There will be four required labs throughout the semester. These will cover some basic topics or circuits like surface mount soldering, constant current sinks, or voltage regulation. The required labs are: Introduction to ECAD, Through Hole Soldering, Surface Mount Soldering, and Linear Regulators. If you can convince me you're proficient in a particular subject, you might be able to substitute the lab time for project time.
Design Project (2):
Students are required to complete two design projects throughout the semester. You can work in a group or individually, but you are encouraged to work in a group. The projects together are worth 70% of your final grade. You will give a presentation of the project at the beginning (overview and plan), we'll hold design reviews (this is like an informal presentation), and you will write a final project report.
- The first project will lean more analog and can be reasonably simple in function–something like an advanced EE230 project. The main goal of this project is to learn the ECAD tools and go through the experience of a design review. Every project must have its own power source, ideally a 12V AC "wall wart." If you have a good reason to use an alternative power source, let me know and we can discuss. You probably won't get away with using a lab bench power supply as your power supply (but you probably should use one to test).
- The second project will be a more complete system and will probably include some combination of a microcontroller, sensors, actuators, display, wireless modules, etc. This project should also implement some sort of switch mode circuit (either a switch mode power supply, class-D amplifier, or both). Once again, you probably won't get away with using a lab bench power supply as your main power source, but you are free to use battery power only. The parts should be mostly surface mount.
Exams (0):
There will be no exams. Your projects are the most important part of the class and should take up the large majority of the time you spend on this class.
Project Deliverables
Both projects have the same proposal and reporting requirements. There are 3requirements for each project — two in-class presentation and an in-class design review. There is also a final report due at the end of the semester covering both projects.
Note: I am considering changing the format of the design review section, so this is subject to change.
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The Project Definition presentation serves as the kick-off to the project. In the definition presentation, the team will describe the project goals in general terms, enumerate specific system requirements, lay out a test plan, and provide any preliminary circuits or design details. The presentation should also include a project abstract, which will be used in the final written report.
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The Design Review presentation is given after all of the design and prototyping work is completed, but before the PCBs are sent out for fabrication. The design review presentation should include:
- A (mostly) complete schematic of the final circuit
- Design calculations and simulations
- Results from testing the prototype circuit and comparison with design expectations
- Discussion of implementation difficulties, existing problems, trade-offs, or modifications from original design
- Overview of the proposed PCB design
When submitting the DR presentation, the group should also submit their ECAD files with the PCB layout. This presentation will certainly be longer and more detailed that the first presentation as you will be walking through your circuit using your ECAD program of choice.
- The Project Completion presentation will be given after the system has been built and tested on the PCB. The presentation time will be limited to 5 minutes.
- After all project work has been completed, the project team will write up and submit a Final Report, comprising the information contained in the three presentations for both projects (i.e., there is only one final report due during finals week in lieu of a final exam).
Project Schedule
Homework and quizzes will be assigned as we make it through the appropriate material, but a schedule for the projects is extremely important. Note there is some overlap between the end of project 1 and start of project 2.
Green rows are project 1 items, purple rows are project 2 items. There is time between the design review and final presentation to allow for board arrival, assembly, and debugging. We can make schedule adjustments as needed.
| Table 1. Project Schedule | |
| Sept. 3rd (Fri) | Project 1 abstracts must be emailed |
| Sept. 8th, 10th (Wed, Fri) | In-class project 1 proposal presentations |
| Oct. 4th, 6th, 8th (Mon, Wed, Fri) | In-class project 1 design reviews |
| Oct. 11th (Mon) | Project 2 abstracts must be emailed |
| Oct. 13th (Wed) | Project 1 Gerbers Due |
| Oct. 15th, 18th (Wed, Fri) | In-class project 2 proposal presentations |
| Nov. 3rd, 5th (Wed, Fri) | In-class project 1 final presentations |
| Nov. 5th (Fri) | Project 2 Schematic Checkpoint (should be roughly half done) |
| Nov. 15th (Mon) | Schematics Due, in-class project 2 design reviews |
| Nov. 22nd (Mon) | Project 2 Gerbers Due |
| Dec. 8th, 10th (Wed, Fri) | In-class project 2 final presentation |
| Finals Week | Project written report due (our effective "final exam") |
Grading Policies
Grading Schema
| Letter Grade | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A | 95 |
| A- | 90 |
| B+ | 87 |
| B | 85 |
| B- | 80 |
| C+ | 77 |
| C | 75 |
| C- | 70 |
| D+ | 67 |
| D | 65 |
| D- | 60 |
| F | <60% |
You can accumulate points by participating in the following way:
| Participation area | Total Points |
|---|---|
| Project 1 | 350 |
| Project 2 | 350 |
| Homework | 150 |
| Quizes | 75 |
| Labs | 75 |
| Total Points Possible | 1000 |
NOTE:
This course is not intended to be obtusely difficult. It's designed as a "get what you give" class. That said, if you're here for an easy A then you should consider taking a different class–not because it will be hard but because project grading (70% of your grade) will be heavily based on engagement and effort. I will, however, try to be reasonably flexible and accommodating, so please check with me if you're having any problems.
Grade Appeal Process
If you become concerned about your instructor's class management, please communicate your concerns with your instructor. Concerns sometimes relate to grading methods, paper turnaround time, and course policies, as examples. If you feel uncomfortable speaking with your instructor, contact Dr. Zambreno (zambreno@iastate.edu) or your academic advisor. Before you decide to appeal, check out ISU's academic appeal process.
Appealing Your Final Grade
If you feel that your final grade does not reflect the quality of the work you produced throughout the semester, please first discuss the issue with your instructor. If, after talking with your instructor, you still feel that your grade does not reflect the quality of your work, you can file a grade appeal by speaking with your academic advisor. For a grade appeal, you will need to submit the following materials:
- A memo explaining why your final grade does not reflect the quality of work you produced
- All the work you completed during the semester (including major assignments and weekly assignments like discussions and workshops)
- The course policies with grade breakdown
A panel of instructors will review your materials blindly and assign a grade based on the quality of the work. If the grade the panel assigns is higher than the grade you received, your grade will be changed accordingly. If, however, the grade the panel assigns is lower than the grade you received, your grade will remain the same.
Course Policies
Feedback
All graded assessments will be returned with feedback within 7 days of the due date. Personalized feedback will be provided for each assignment and reflection. In addition, responses to common questions and unclear content will be posted at the conclusion of each module. Comments will be posted at the conclusion of each discussion.
Missed and late coursework
It is important to keep up with the pace of this course, but stuff happens and this class shouldn't be a huge source of stress. If you need more time, please talk to me BEFORE the assignment is due.
Attendance
Attendance is expected and there will be in-class quizzes. However, there is no direct grading criteria for attendance and quizzes will be announced before they day they are given. If you are absent from many classes and it is clear from your project progress you should have been coming to class, that will reflect poorly on your project grade.
Expectations
- You are expected to pay attention in class. We will spend time on topics until the class is generally understanding the topic. Please don't hold up progress to browse Instagram
- If you feel ill, please don't come to class. Let me know you'll be absent and I will work with you to cover missed content