Unit 22 – Electronic circuits and Devices

Electronics is all around us today: in our homes, the workplace, cars and even on or in our bodies. It’s hard to believe that it was only in 1947 that the transistor was developed by American physicists John Bardeen, Walter Brattain, and William Shockley. The invention of the transistor paved the way for cheaper radios, calculators and computers.

This Module includes:

  • 4 Workbooks
  • 4 Assignments
  • 4 Worked Solutions
  • 11 Simulation Files
  • 34 Tutorial Videos
  • 2 Software

 

Description

This unit introduces students to the use of electronics manufacturers’ data to analyse the performance of circuits and devices, the operational characteristics of amplifier circuits, the types and effects of feedback on a circuit performance, and the operation and application of oscillators. They will also be introduced to the application of testing procedures to electronic devices and circuits, and use the findings of the tests to evaluate their operation.

Among the topics included in this unit are: power amplifiers, class A, B and AB; operational amplifiers, inverting, non-inverting, differential, summing, integrator, differentiator; types such as open, closed, positive and negative feedback; frequency, stability, frequency drift, distortion, amplitude, wave shapes and testing procedures.

On successful completion of this unit students will be able to determine the operational characteristics of amplifier circuits, investigate the types and effects of feedback on an amplifier’s performance, examine the operation and application of oscillators and apply testing procedures to electronic devices and circuits.


Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Determine the operational characteristics of amplifier circuits.

Operational characteristics:
Power amplifiers: class A, B and AB
Operational amplifiers: inverting, non-inverting, differential, summing, integrator, differentiator, comparator, instrumentation, Schmitt trigger, active filters Gain, bandwidth, frequency response, input and output impedance
Distortion and noise

2. Investigate the types and effects of feedback on an amplifier’s performance.

Types and effects:
Types including open, closed, positive and negative feedback
Effect of feedback on gain, bandwidth, distortion, noise, stability, input and output impedance

3. Examine the operation and application of oscillators.

Operation and application:
Types of oscillators such as Wien bridge, Twin-T, R-C ladder, L-C coupled, transistor, operational amplifier, crystal
Frequency, stability, frequency drift, distortion, amplitude and wave shapes

4. Apply testing procedures to electronic devices and circuits.

Testing procedures:
Measuring performance, using practical results and computer simulations
Voltage gain, current, bandwidth, frequency response, output power, input and output impedance
Distortion and noise
Devices to test:
Semiconductors
Integrated circuits
Amplifiers
Oscillators
Filters
Power supplies
Integrated circuit (IC) voltage regulators
Combined analogue and digital IC’s
Component manufacturer’s data:
Specifications, manuals and circuit diagrams
Use of testing equipment:
Meters, probes and oscilloscopes
Signal generators and signal analysers, logic analysers
Virtual test equipment

Additional information

Workbooks

4

Assignments

4

Worked Solutions

4

Simulation Files

11

Videos

34 Videos

Current Division (19:35)
Kirchoff's Voltage and Current Laws (14:58)
Maximum Power Transfer (06:01)
Norton's Theorem (14:58)
Ohm's Law (07:24)
Resistors in Series and Parallel (27:49)
SI Base Units (10:00)
SI Derived Units (10:22)
SI Prefixes (13:06)
Two-Source DC Network (31:48)
Three Source DC Network (34:52)

MicroCap Series RL High Pass Filter (36:50)
MicroCap Series RC Low Pass Filter (15:45)
MicroCap Series RLC Tuned Circuit (16:11)
MicroCap Paralell AC RL Circuit (15:37)
MicroCap Paralell AC RC Circuit (13:40)
Graphical and Polar Signals (12:34)
Graph Simulator for Beginners (23:16)
Graph Simulator for Intermediate (15:11)
Graph Simulator Advanced (12:45)
Sinusoids and Radian Measure (13:02)
Complex Waves from Sinusoids (22:21)
Electromagnetic Induction (26:17)
Transformers (13:40)
Getting started with the MicroCap Simulator (21:59)
RC Circuit (09:24)
RL Circuit (09:00)
Simple DC Resistive Network (04:05)
Sinusoidal Differentiation (17:50)
The Mysterious Root 3 and 3 Phase Systems Analysis (22:27)
Thevenin and Norton Equivalents (17:52)
Two-Source DC Resistive Network (17:33)

Software

2

Workbook Sample

Video Sample