Sensor Interfaces

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Understand and design circuits containing transistors and op-amps
• Understand the ideal building blocks of circuit theory and the key ideas in circuits, such as impedance, power and resonance.
• Analyse transient behaviour in RC and RL circuits in the time domain.
• Analyse ideal analogue AC circuits using complex numbers and phasors.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Meet this module's contribution to the subject specific intellectual learning outcomes of ELEC1029.
• Select appropriate mathematical tools for the solution of problems in circuits.
• Appreciate the importance of linearising systems, and the use of linear models
• Confidently design, construct and test analogue circuits in the laboratory.

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Meet this module's contribution to the transferable and generic learning outcomes of ELEC1029.
• Undertake laboratory experiment safely
• Record and report laboratory work.

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Analyse ideal analogue circuits experimentally and using simulation software.
• Meet this module's contribution to the subject specific practical learning outcomes of ELEC1029

• --Principles of circuit analysis:

Ideal circuit elements: resistors, inductors and capacitors, voltage and current sources

Source free and complete response of RL and RC circuits

Types of dependent source including the operational amplifier and bipolar transistors as applications of dependent sources

Kirchhoff’s voltage and current laws

Mutual inductance

The superposition theorem and linearity.

• --Mesh and nodal analysis

Mesh analysis for circuits with voltage sources and resistors

Matrix notation for mesh equations

Gaussian elimination

Nodal analysis for circuits with current sources and resistors

Analysis of circuits with both current and voltage sources

Mesh and nodal analysis with dependent sources

Superposition with dependent sources

• --AC Theory

Properties of sine waves (oscillators)

Sinusoidal excitation of RL and RC circuits: phase and amplitude of 1st order lead and lag

Impedance and admittance AC analysis of RLC circuits

Resonant RLC circuits, coupled resonators

Q factor

• --Amplifier circuits

Opamps as ideal amplifiers.

Linear opamp circuits: inverting/non-inverting amplifier, adder, subtractor, voltage follower

Non-linear opamp circuits, waveform generators, Schmitt trigger, integrators & differentiators

Buffers, cascading

Introduction to frequency dependence, integrator

Introduction to BJTs as amplifiers

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures, laboratories and tutorial sessions.

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Nilsson J W, Riedel S A. Electric Circuits.

Hayt W H, Kemmerly J E. Engineering Circuit Analysis.

Price, T. E. Analog Electronics - An Integrated PSpice Approach.

Dorf R C, Svoboda J A. Introduction to Electric Circuits.

Senturia S D, Wedlock B.D.. Electronic Circuits and Applications.

Assessment strategy

Weekly problem sheets provide formative feedback.

Technical labs are conducted under the umbrella of ELEC1029 but the marks contribute towards this module.

Skills labs are conducted under the umbrella of the zero-credit ELEC1029 module and address its learning outcomes. The marks contribute to a number of ELEC12xx modules, including this one.

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.