ECE 6410 Advanced Electronic Instrumentation

 

Fall 2009
updated 7 December 2009

The online version of this syllabus at http://homepages.wmich.edu/~miller/ECE6410.html has hyperlinks and will be updated as needed.

Instructor

Dr. Damon A. Miller, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Western Michigan University, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Parkview Campus, Room A-240, 269.276.3158, 269.276.3151 (fax), damon.miller@wmich.edu, www.homepages.wmich.edu/~miller/.

Office Hours

Guaranteed office hours are posted on Dr. Miller’s door and at http://homepages.wmich.edu/~miller/. Please respect my office hours.  Other times are available by appointment.

Description (WMU Graduate Catalog)

ECE 6410 Advanced Electronic Instrumentation, 3 hrs. Description, analysis, and design of instrumentation systems with emphasis on sensors, signal acquisition, amplification, and processing. Both analog and digital sensors and signal processors will be considered.  Prerequisites:  ECE 5410 (Electronic Instrumentation).

 

Textbook and Materials

Required:

1.  Sergio Franco, Design with Operational Amplifiers and Analog Integrated Circuits, 3rd edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2002.

2.  Linear Technology, LTspice IV, available at no cost at http://www.linear.com/designtools/software/.  This software will be used to simulate circuits and is available in the CAE center.  You are responsible for ensuring access to a working copy.

3.  PCB 123® (PCB layout software), available from pcb123.com

References (available from Dr. Miller)

1.  Rolf Schaumann and Mac E. Van Valkenburg, Design of Analog Filters, Oxford University Press, 2001.

2.  A. S. Sedra and K. C. Smith, Microelectronic Circuits, Oxford University Press, 5th edition, 1998.

3.  Tim Williams, The Circuit Designer’s Handbook, Reed Educational and Professional Publishing Ltd., 1991.

4.  Jim Williams (editor), The Art and Science of Analog Circuit Design, from the EDN Series for Design Engineers, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1998.

5. 

Online References:

1.  Site enables finding 1% and 5% resistor that most closely realize a desired ratio: http://www.employees.org/~bennet/teledesign/ResistorRatio.html

2.  Paul Brokaw, An IC Amplifier User’s Guide to Decoupling, Grounding, and Making Things Go Right for a Change, Application Note AN-202, Rev. B, available from www.analog.com

3.  John Ardizzoni, A Practical Guide to High-Speed Printed-Circuit-Board Layout, Analog Dialogue, 39-09, September 2005, available from www.analog.com

Other References:

Recommended:

A high level mathematics software suite is useful but not required for course assignments. These packages are typically offered to students at significantly reduced rates. Pick one and master it for use throughout your academic and professional career:

  1. The MathWorks, MATLAB® & SIMULINK®. MATLAB® is widely in engineering. The CAE center provides access to this software.
  2. Wolfram Research, Mathematica® provides a remarkable, unified symbolic approach to computing.  Visit http://www.mathematica.com/ to see some of the extraordinary capabilities of this package developed by Stephen Wolfram.
  3. MapleSoft, Maple®, available on main campus.

 

Course Policies

Academic Honesty

General:

“You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs that pertain to Academic Honesty. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. [The policies can be found at www.www.wmich.edu/catalog under Academic Policies, Student Rights and Responsibilities.] If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with me if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.” — provided by the Professional Concerns Committee of the WMU Faculty Senate

Plagiarism:

“One of the most serious academic offenses is plagiarism (see definition for "plagiarize" in the Cambridge Advanced  Learner's Dictionary). If your institution, colleagues, or professional organization believe that you have unfairly used the work (the intellectual property) of another person, you may lose your job, be asked to leave your university, and/or have your professional career ruined” [from www.ohiou.edu/Esl/help/plagiarism.html].  See that website for tutorials on how to insure that you never plagiarize another’s work.

Grading Basis

1.     Projects (60%) will be assigned on a regular basis.  LATE PROJECTS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED AND ARE DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS. All projects are to be completed individually.  The format of project reports will be addressed in class.  One or more projects will consist of a series of homework style problems from the text.  Use the prescribed homework format for those problems.

2.     Examinations (2 or more) and Quizzes (announced or unannounced):  40%

OUTSTANDING WORK might earn extra credit.

 

Scale: 0-60 E | 60-65 D | 65-70 DC | 70-75 C | 75-80 CB | 80-85 B | 85-90 BA | 90-100 A |

EXAMINATIONS AND QUIZZES will be closed-notes closed-book unless otherwise noted. You must have a WMU issued ID with you at the exam.

 

Only under extremely unusual circumstances will make-up examinations and quizzes be considered.  Religious observances will be accommodated with advanced notice.  If an emergency prevents you from attending a scheduled examination or quiz, contact your instructor PRIOR to the test or as soon as you can reach a telephone, e-mail terminal, etc. If the instructor cannot be reached directly, leave a message with the department (276-3150).  Failure to adhere to this policy will result in zero credit for the exercise.

 

Use of Calculators

When a calculator is allowed on a quiz/exam, without exception only models accepted by the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination may be used; see http://www.ncees.org/exams/calculators/index.php#approved for a list of approved calculators.

HOMEWORK is assigned in class. Students must maintain a homework folder that is brought to each class. Assignments will be randomly collected from the homework folder perhaps without prior warning. Homework due dates will be given in class. Each homework problem must be worked on separate page(s).  LATE HOMEWORK will not be accepted, except under extraordinary circumstances. Homework is to be completed individually and collected homework will be considered a quiz.

 

Homework should normally be done on 8 1/2'' by 11'' sheets. “Engineer's Pad” sheets are preferred.  Solutions must be done in a neat, structured, logical, and orderly manner with frequent brief notations enabling the grader to readily verify the author's source of information, steps taken, sources of formula, equations, and methods used. USE THE PARTIAL CHECK LIST FOR SUBMITTED HOMEWORK BELOW.  Papers failing to meet these guidelines may not be graded and may be returned, with or without an opportunity for resubmission with a penalty.

 

PARTIAL CHECK LIST FOR SUBMITTED HOMEWORK

 

1.     Each problem must include: (a) author's name, (b) name/title of the assignment, and (c) date of completion.

2.     Use only one side of the paper and include a brief and concise statement of the problem prior to its solution. Begin each problem on a new page.

3.     Number the pages and DOUBLE SPACE the text.

4.     Staple each problem in the upper left corner as needed.

5.     Entitle graphs, label and include axes, include key symbols for multiple curve graphs, and give brief notes of explanation where appropriate.

6.     Briefly but clearly annotate your document in a way which will provide the document reader with information such as

a.     which part of the assignment is this?

b.     what is being done and why?

c.     how was it done and what are the results?

d.     how was this equation obtained and how was it used?

e.     sample calculations and definitions of symbols/parameters where appropriate; and

f.      BOX AND LABEL ANSWERS.

 

In case of conflict, information in this syllabus supersedes all other course documents.

 

Tentative Schedule

 

#

when/where

topic

 

assignment

VWS=verify result with SPICE

WEEK 1

1

MON 9/14 6:30PM

C-136

Static Op Amp Limitations (CH 5 of Franco)

read CH 5 and CH 6

 

Project 1: CH 5: 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5, 5.7, 5.11, 5.15, 5.18(a), 5.27, 5.33 (VWS)

(use standard value components in your designs)

(follow HW guidelines)

DUE WEEK 4

WEEK 2

2

TUE 9/22

6:30PM

A-240

Dynamic Op Amp Limitations (CH 6 of Franco)

Project 2: CH 6: 6.2, 6.3, 6.6 (VWS), 6.16, 6.18 (VWS), Design of a Microelectrode Array Preamplifier

DUE WEEK 5

WEEK 3

3

MON 9/28

6:30PM

C-136

Problem Solving Session

read CH 7

WEEK 4

4

MON 10/5

6:30PM

C-136

Dynamic Op Amp Limitations (CH 6 of Franco)

Noise (CH  7 of Franco)

PROJECT 1 DUE

WEEK 5

5

MON 10/12

6:30PM

C-136

Noise (CH 7 of Franco)

PROJECT 2 DUE

read CH 8, section 9.7

 

Project 3: Low Noise Instrumentation Amplifier

DUE WEEK 8

WEEK 6

6

WED 10/23

FRIDAY

7:15PM

A-240

Stability (CH 8 of Franco)

read CH 12

WEEK 7

7

MON 10/26

6:30PM

C-136

Project 3 in-class work

 

WEEK 8

8

MON 11/5

THURSDAY

6:30PM

A-240

D-A and A-D converters (CH 12 of Franco)

PROJECT 3 DUE

 

Project 4:  CH 12: 12.1, 12.2, 12.3, 12.20, 12.25

DUE WEEK 13

WEEK 9

 

9

MON 11/9

6:30PM

C-136

discuss graded HW

 

WEEK 10

10

WED 11/18

7:15PM

A-240

EXAM 1

 

 

WEEK 11

11

MON 11/23

6:30PM

C-136

best design practices

review project 5

Project 5:  Multi-Electrode Array Amplification System

PART OF FINAL EXAM

WEEK 12

12

MON 11/30

6:30PM

C-136

noise equivalent bandwidth

noise figure

project 5 working session

 

WEEK 13

13

MON 12/7

6:30PM

C-136

project 5 working session

discuss CH 12 homework

 

FINALS WEEK

14

FRI 12/18

6PM-8PM

C-136

FINAL

(chapters 12)

(moved due to illness)

 

 

Credits

 

Adapted in part from syllabi by J. Gesink.

© 2009 Damon A. Miller. All rights reserved.

 

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