ECEN 2250, Introduction to Circuits & Electronics, Fall 2011

ECEN 2250 - Introduction to Circuits & Electronics

Peter Mathys, Fall 2011

Course Description and Requirements

Class: MWF 12:00-12:50 pm, MUEN E0046
Instructor: Professor Peter Mathys, ECEE 1B67, 303-492-7733, Fax: 303-492-2758, e-mail: .
Office Hours: M 3-5 pm, W 2-5 pm, F 2-4 pm, and by appointment.
TA: Braden Shaffer, e-mail: . Office Hours: W 9:50-10:50 am in ECEE 281.

Text: Roland E. Thomas, Albert J. Rosa, and Gregory J. Toussaint, The Analysis and Design of Linear Circuits, 6th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2009, ISBN-13 978-0-470-38330-8.

Prerequisite: APPM 1360, Calculus 2 for Engineers.
Corequisite: APPM 2360, Intro to Linear Algebra and Differential Equations.
Credit Hours: 3

Course Description: Introduction to modeling, analysis, and design of circuits and electronics using lumped circuit models for sources, resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes and transistors. Introduction to the vocabulary, language, tools, and problem solving techniques used in electrical engineering. Exploration of the role circuits and electronics play in the context of career choices, societal needs, the environment, and ethical considerations.
Course Objectives: Course objectives are the long-term goals set for students who take this course.
1. Understand the basic principles and abstractions that are used to analyze and design electronic circuits and systems.
2. Understand the language of electrical engineering and how to formulate and solve basic electrical engineering problems.
3. Understand how electronic circuits and systems fit into the larger context of engineering careers, ethics, societal needs, and environmental concerns.
Learning Outcomes: Learning outcomes are the skills and abilities students are expected to have at the end of the course so that the course objectives can be achieved. Learning outcomes also define the primary quantities that are measured for the purpose of course assessment and continuous improvement.
1. Analysis and design of basic lumped circuits.
  1. Voltage, current, power, energy.
  2. i-v characteristics, Ohm's law.
  3. Kirchhoff's voltage/current laws.
  4. Equivalent circuits.
  5. Linearity, superposition.
  6. Circuit theorems.
2. Active devices.
  1. Dependent sources.
  2. Transistors.
  3. OpAmps.
3. Analysis and design of basic ac circuits.
  1. Waveforms.
  2. Capacitors and inductors.
  3. Phasors, impedance and admittance.
  4. Differential equations.
  5. First order circuits.
  6. Second order circuits.
4. Circuit analysis and design tools.
  1. Matlab.
  2. PSpice/LTspice.
  3. Schematic capture.
5. Circuits in context.
  1. Circuits in a contemporary context.
  2. Circuits in a global, environmental, and societal context.
  3. Circuits in a professional and ethical context.
  4. Effective communication of engineering topics.
6. Basic hardware (using NI myDAQ) experiments.
  1. Voltage, current, and resistance measurements
  2. Waveform measurements using oscilloscope
  3. Design and measurement of simple active circuit(s)

Concepts Covered:
1. Introduction: Symbols, units, circuit variables (Chapter 1).
2. Basic Circuit Analysis: i-v characteristics, independent sources, Kirchhoff's laws, equivalent circuits (Chapter 2).
3. Circuit Analysis Techniques: Node-voltage analysis, linearity, Thévenin and Norton equivalent circuits, maximum signal transfer (Chapter 3).
4. Active Circuits: Dependent sources, transistors, OpAmps, analysis/design of OpAmp circuits (Chapter 4).
5. Signal Waveforms: Time-varying voltages and currents, unit step and impulse, exponential and sinusoidal waveforms (Chapter 5).
6. Reactive Elements: Capacitors and inductors, dynamic OpAmp circuits, mutual induction and ideal transformers (Chapter 6 and part of Chapter 15).
7. First Order Circuits: RC and RL circuits, first order differential equations (first part of Chapter 7).
8. Sinusoidal Steady-State Analysis: Phasors, circuit analysis with phasors, power and energy (Chapter 8).
The following figure shows the approximate sequence in which the main topics of this course will be treated. (Linear order for comparison.)

Course Requirements:
1. Attend class.
2. Homework (~10%): Weekly, usually due on Fridays at the beginning of class. Only two problems per problem set, selected at random, will be graded.
3. Quizzes (~15%): Approx. weekly (on reading assignments, previous lectures, homeworks, etc). Closed book, closed notes.
4. Midterm (in class) Exams (~30% total):
  - Exam 1 (~10%): Mon. Sep. 19. Closed book, closed notes.
  - Exam 2 (~10%): Fri. Oct. 14. Closed book, closed notes.
  - Exam 3 (~10%): Wed. Nov. 9. Closed book, closed notes.
5. Real Engineering Problems (~5%): Approx. weekly. Short technical essays that relate the topics covered in class to real engineering problems.
6. Circuits in Context (~10%): Approx. bi-weekly, reports are usually due on Mondays.
7. myDAQ Experiments (~10%): Approx. bi-weekly, reports are usually due on Mondays.
8. Final exam (~20%), according to Final Exam Schedule: Mon. Dec. 14, 1:30 - 4:00 pm. Closed book, closed notes.

Circuits in Context: Technical essays/reports on topics that are related to the analysis/design of circuits, the use of software tools to analyze/design circuits, and the role circuits and electronics play in the larger context of engineering careers, ethics, societal needs, and environmental concerns. The essays/reports will be graded both in terms of writing performance and in terms of technical/content performance.
NI myDAQ Experiments: The purpose of this portion of the course is to give you some familiarity with lab equipment and capabilities before you enter the electronics design lab course next semester. You will not use an actual lab, but use an instrument called a data acquisition device. The specific one that will be used is made by National Instruments and is called myDaq. This is a small, USB-powered device, which, with associated software, can act as a digital multimeter, a signal generator, an oscilloscope and more. These devices can be checked out from ECEE electronics store in ECEE 1B10.