ELEC ENG 1100 - Analog Electronics

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2016

This course develops a basic understanding of the fundamentals and principles of analog circuits and electronic devices in electrical and electronic engineering. It covers the key electrical variables and the application of fundamental circuit laws and theorems to DC/AC resistive circuits; the analysis of steady-state and transient RLC circuits including resonance; the principles, construction, analysis and modelling of basic semi-conductor devices; and experimental work involving diodes, transistor amplifiers and op-amps. It includes a communication and professional skills development component.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ELEC ENG 1100
    Course Analog Electronics
    Coordinating Unit School of Electrical & Electronic Engineering
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact up to 9 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Incompatible ELEC ENG 1009, ELEC ENG 1101
    Course Description This course develops a basic understanding of the fundamentals and principles of analog circuits and electronic devices in electrical and electronic engineering. It covers the key electrical variables and the application of fundamental circuit laws and theorems to DC/AC resistive circuits; the analysis of steady-state and transient RLC circuits including resonance; the principles, construction, analysis and modelling of basic semi-conductor devices; and experimental work involving diodes, transistor amplifiers and op-amps. It includes a communication and professional skills development component.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Wen Soong

    Circuits and Electronics Lectures / Course Coordinator
    Name: Assoc. Prof. Wen Soong
    Email: wen.soong@.adelaide.edu.au
    Room: Ingkarni Wardli 3.53

    Circuits and Electronics Lectures
    Name: Assoc. Prof Michael Liebelt
    Email: michael.liebelt@adelaide.edu.au
    Room: Ingkarni Wardli 3.36

    Communication and Professional Practice
    Name: Dr Matthew Sorell
    Email: matthew.sorell@adelaide.edu.au
    Room: Ingkarni Wardli 3.37

    Practical Coordinator
    Name: Dr Hong-Gunn Chew
    Email: honggunn.chew@adelaide.edu.au
    Room: Ingkarni Wardli 3.52
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    This course consists of the following components:

    1. Circuits and Electronics
    Three lectures a week during the first (approximately) eight weeks of the semester starting in Week 1.  This will be accompanied by weekly tutorials starting in Week 2.

    2. Communication and Professional Practice
    One lecture every two weeks, starting in Week 2.  This will be accompanied by one group seminar session every two weeks, with groups running in both even and odd weeks, starting in Week 2.  Presentations will take place in the last few weeks of the semester and may also utilise the unused circuits and electronics lecture slots during this period.

    3. Practicals
    One three-hour practical session per week, starting in Week 3 and finishing in Week 12.
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    CLO1…Describe the meaning of the key electrical variables (charge, voltage, current and power) and apply the fundamental circuit laws (Ohm’s law, Kirchhoff’s laws) to DC and AC resistive circuits.

    CLO2…Apply key electrical circuit theorems (series and parallel elements, voltage/current divider, Thevenin's and Norton's theorems, superposition, nodal and mesh analysis) to predict the behaviour of DC and AC resistive circuits.

    CLO3…Analyse RLC circuits in the steady-state and transient conditions using differential equations and phasor analysis.  Explain the concept of resonance.

    CLO4…Explain the principles, construction and modelling of basic semiconductor electronic devices (diodes, bipolar and field-effect transistors, and op-amps), and analyse simple rectifier and amplifier circuits.

    CLO5…Develop practical skills in the construction and testing of circuits containing diodes, transistor amplifiers and op-amps.  

    CLO6…Apply communication and professional engineering skills to work effectively and ethically in a group project involving discovery of information.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1-4
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    5
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    6
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    1) The following required resources are available on the course website:

    • Lecture notes: you can print these yourself, or purchase them from EEESAU (the local student branch of an electrical and electronic engineering technical society) at the beginning of the semester at reasonable cost, see signs around the Engineering North and IW building.

    • Online tests: these are both available and submitted on the course website.

    • Tutorial questions: these are available on the course website in the week leading up to the tutorial.


    2) A toolkit is required for the practical sessions. Bring a refundable cash deposit ($70 in 2015)  to the first practical session. These toolkits represent $150 wholesale value. They contain prototyping boards and basic tools.

    Recommended Resources
    1) Practice problems are available on the course website for most of the course segments. Some of these will be used in the online tests and tutorial questions.

    2) Reference Books
    The course lecture notes should provide sufficient information for most students, however you may find the following reference book useful if you are have difficulty with the material or are interested in learning more about any of the topics in this course.  Copies of the book are available in the Barr Smith library.
    • A.R. Hambley: Electrical Engineering - Principles and Applications, 6th Edition, Pearson.

    Online Learning
    All course announcements will be made via the course website. In addition, important announcements will also be emailed to all course participants.

    The use of the course discussion boards is strongly encouraged for questions relating to course material, but also for more general discussion on electrical and electronic engineering and technology. Anonymous posts will be permitted, offensive posts will not. Lecturers will make a best effort to respond promptly to questions raised on the discussion boards.

    The course gradebook will be used to return continuous assessment marks. Students should check the gradebook regularly and confirm their marks have been correctly entered.

    Video recordings of lectures will normally be made available on the course website after each lecture.

    In addition, the following material will be provided on the course website at the start or during the course of the semester:
    • lecture notes and tutorial questions
    • some past assessment examples (quizzes and exams)
    • additional exercise problems

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course uses lectures, tutorials, seminars and practicals to achieve its learning objectives.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    Activity Detail Contact Hours Workload Hours
    Lectures 22 lectures 22 33
    Tutorials 12 tutorials 8 20
    Practicals 9 3-hr sessions 27 36
    In-class tests 1 test 1 5
    Exam 1 exam 3 15
    CPP lectures 6 lectures 6 9
    CPP seminars 6 seminars 6 9
    CPP assignments 3 assignments 1 15
    Total 73 142
    Learning Activities Summary
    A. Circuits
    Electrical variables (charge, electric field, voltage,current, magnetic field, energy, power), electrical components (voltage and current sources, resistors, open and short circuits, inductors, capacitors) and fundamental circuit laws (Ohm’s law, KVL and KCL).  Application to DC and AC resistive circuits.

    Key electrical circuit theorems (series and parallel elements, voltage/current divider, Thevenin's and Norton's theorems, superposition, nodal and mesh analysis).  Application to DC and AC resistive circuits.

    Analysis of RLC circuits.  Steady-state analysis using phasors and concept of resonance.  Transient analysis using differential equations. 

    B. Electronics
    Basic electronic devices and building blocks (diodes, bipolar and field-effect transistors, op-amps).  Principles, construction and modelling using simplified equivalent circuits. Analysis of circuits containing these devices.

    C. Communication and Professional Practice (CPP)
    This unit will explore the role of the engineer and his/her interaction with colleagues, employees and the broader community through texts and exercises which will:
    • enable and encourage students to understand why effective communication is essential for practising engineers.
    • enable and encourage students to practise and improve their communication skills (including written, oral and presentation skills).
    • enable students to interpret information in written texts, relevant to electronic and electrical engineering.
    • explore aspects of professional practice such as mentoring and teamwork, and consider the wider social implications of an engineer’s work.

    Specific Course Requirements
    Laboratory clothing restrictions apply to the practical sessions: closed-toe shoes; covered shoulders; long hair must be tied back.

    Small Group Discovery Experience
    The Communication and Professional Practice (CPP) component includes a Small Group Discovery Experience.  Students will work in groups to research a particular topic relevant to their course and present a seminar and poster.  This will include two meetings with an experienced academic.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Activity Type Weighting Due Date Learning Objective Addressed
    Exam (2 hours)* Summative 45% exam period CLO1-4
    Mid-semester quiz Formative 10% 2nd half of semester CLO1-3
    Online tests Formative 5% weekly from Wk 2 CLO1-4
    Practicals* Formative 20% CLO5
    CPP Assignments/Seminar* Formative 20% CLO6

    *It is necessary to achieve at least 40% in each of the exam, practicals and CPP assignments/seminar to pass the course.
    Assessment Related Requirements
    A hurdle requirement is defined by the University's Assessment for Coursework Programs policy as "...an assessment task mandating a minimum level of performance as a condition of passing the course.

    In the Analog Electronics course the examination, practical  and CPP components are hurdle requirements. It is necessary to achieve at least 40% in all three of these components. If the exam hurdle requirement is not achieved, the total course mark will be limited to a maximum of 49. If the practical and/or CPP hurdle requirements are not met, the total course mark will be limited to a maximum of 44.

    It is important to note there is NO supplementary assessment offered for the practical or CPP component after the end of Week 12. By arrangement with the Practical or CPP coordinator, it will be possible throughout the semester for students who are falling significantly behind to have supplementary opportunities. However if students persistently neglect the practical or CPP components throughout semester they are likely to not meet the hurdle requirement and hence fail the course without further opportunity for redemption. Exceptions will be made in the case of verifiable medical or compassionate circumstances beyond the student’s control.

    If a student fails to meet a hurdle requirement (normally no less than 40%),and is assigned a total mark for the course in the range of 45-49, then the student is entitled to an offer of additional assessment of some type. The type of assessment is to be decided by the School Assessment Review Committee when determining final results. The student’s final total mark will be entered at no more than 49% and the offer of an additional assessment will be specified e.g. US01. Once the additional assessment has been completed, this mark will be included in the calculation of the total mark for the course and the better of the two results will apply. Note however that the maximum final result for a course in which a student has sat an additional assessment will be a “50 Pass”.

    If a student is unable to meet a hurdle requirement related to an assessment piece (may be throughout semester or at semester’s end) due to medical or compassionate circumstances beyond their control, then the student is entitled to an offer of replacement assessment of some type. An interim result of RP will be entered for the student, and the student will be notified of the offer of a replacement assessment. Once the replacement assessment has been completed, the result of that assessment will be included in the calculation of the total mark for the course.

    Assessment Detail

    No information currently available.

    Submission

    No information currently available.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

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