To develop practical electronics knowledge & skills, including; reading & creating circuit diagrams, understanding the function of components, designing PCBs using CAD & developing lab documentation & soldering skills.
To enable students to develop sufficient knowledge of electrical components & circuits & the practical electronics skills necessary to fabricate & test given electronic circuit designs, PCB & enclosure design, to assembly, soldering, testing & CAD documentation of their work and the completed circuit.
To give students an appreciation of electrical safety & good working practice.
Outline Syllabus
An introduction to voltage, current, Ohm's law, statement of what a resistor, capacitor and inductor is, how to apply formula for series and parallel and rule for resistive potential dividers.
Understanding the role, function, identification and packaging of common passive and active devices and common connectors.
Safe use and familiarity with test Equipment: DVM, Oscilloscope, power supplies and signal generators.
Electronic skills, tools and techniques: wiring; soldering and de-soldering: component recognition, identification and selection; data books, application notes and suppliers catalogues.
Make and test project 1: construction and testing of a small electronic unit. Make and test project 2 and 3: further exercises in the design, construction and testing of a small electronic systems, one digital and one analogue.
During the course of these projects, students will be introduced to the following software package: Proteus - PCB schematic design and capture, manual and automatic track layout.
Students will be introduced to Surface Mount Technology.
The importance of sustainability in electronic manufacture will be introduced, including: the WEEE Directive, the RoHS Directive and whole life sustainability factors.
The students will be introduced to some of the ethical aspects of electronic manufacturing by considering such issues as ethical sourcing of raw materials and the ethical implications of offshore manufacturing.