ECE 304A

Design of Electronic Circuits

Usually offered: Spring

Required course: No

Course Level

Undergraduate

Units

4

Instructor(s)

Dale Hetherington, Professor of Practice

Prerequisite(s)

Advanced Standing: Engineering. Major: ECE. ECE 351C.

Course Texts

Required Texts

  • Sedra, Adel S., and Smith, Kenneth C. Microelectronic Circuits. 8th ed., Oxford Univ. Press, 2019.
  • Additional Text for Reference: Horowitz, Paul, and Hill, Winfield. The Art of Electronics. 3rd ed. Cambridge University Press, 2015.

Required Special Materials

  • PSPICE software – See D2L Notes on how to download PSPICE Designer Lite. PSPICE will be used as part of your lab assignments. We will cover the use of PSPICE during the lectures. A tutorial will also be listed on D2L.
  • ADAML2000 module - The department has these units available to borrow for the semester. www.analog.com/en/design-center/evaluation-hardware-and-oftware/evaluationboards-kits/adalm2000.html
  • Parts: You will need to purchase a parts kit for the lab experiments and project. ($50). vakits.com/ua304a-kit

Additional Recommended Materials for your lab work
The following is a list of recommended material for your lab work:

  • 5-3/4 in Needle nose pliers – These are extremely handy for inserting components (resistors, capacitors, diodes, chips, etc.) into your breadboard.
  • Digital multimeter and electrostatic discharge (ESD) mat/wristband
  • A soldering iron may be useful for the class project. Again, these items are not required but are very handy to have when doing any kind of electronics works.
  • ADAML2000 module - The department has these units available to borrow for the semester. www.analog.com/en/design-center/evaluation-hardware-and-oftware/evaluationboards-kits/adalm2000.html
  • Parts: You will need to purchase a parts kit for the lab experiments and project. ($50). vakits.com/ua304a-kit

Schedule

Three 50-minute lecture sessions per week, MWF 9:00 AM - 9:50 AM. One 170-minute laboratory session per week, MWF 9:00 AM – 9:50 AM.

Course Description

Specific Course Information:
2021-2022 Catalog Data:  Integrated theory and design laboratory course. Current mirrors, active loads, multi-stage amplifiers, output stages, frequency response, and feedback with emphasis on design, simulations of design and laboratory verification, measurement techniques, and technical communications.

Learning Outcomes

Specific Goals for the Course:
Outcomes of Instruction: By the end of this course the student will be able to:

  • Design and use basic analog building blocks and understand how they interact using the operational amplifier as an example.
  • Design differential amplifiers using active or resistive loads to meet large-signal swing and small-signal gain specifications.
  • Relate capacitance in devices to the frequency performance of circuits, including the Miller effect.
  • Understand why and how negative feedback-amplifiers become unstable and how to design to ensure stability.
  • Perform an intuitive approach for analyzing practical feedback-amplifier circuits.
  • Apply circuit techniques used in the design of power amplifiers.

Course Topics

Brief list of topics to be covered:
There are 4 labs during the semester. A list of the lab topics is given below:

  • LAB 1: Review of the ADALM unit. Current mirror circuits and active loads.
  • LAB 2: Differential amplifier circuits
  • LAB 3: Negative and Positive Feedback Amplifiers
  • LAB 4: Multistage amplifiers

Relationship to Student Outcomes

ECE 304A contributes directly to the following specific electrical and computer engineering student outcomes of the ECE department:

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.

Syllabus Prepared By

Syllabus updated on 3/29/2022

Contact Undergraduate Advisor: undergradadvisor@ece.arizona.edu

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