1

Welcome to Electronics

Len TrombettaTTh 8:30 – 10:00 amW321 D3

Be sure to pick up… - Syllabus - Blackboard handout

2

Issues

Prerequisite letter What’s this course about? Syllabus Schedule

3

Web Resources

Blackboard Handout Blackboard

Web site

4

Major Topics in ECE 3455

Signals Amplifiers models Diodes and nonlinear circuits Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJTs) BJT circuit models FETs (briefly) Digital electronics (briefly)

5

Relation to ECE 2300/2100

Theory vs. Practice Lecture/Lab Level of difficulty Doing the homework: Its not about the grade…

6

Homework

Homework is how you figure out what’s going on In writing quizzes and exams, I will assume you have

done (and understand) the homework Don’t leave homework until the last minute Homework will be graded Homework must be neat and conform to notation and

other class standards or credit will be subtracted

7

Assignments and Grading

Homework (~10) In-class quizzes (6 – but the lowest is dropped) Midterm exams (2 – Saturday afternoons) Final exam (just 1) Lab grades

Informal reports (6) Project/formal report (team project/individual report)

8

Tour of Blackboard

Blackboard will be used for most of our communications, but a regular internet web site will also be active.

9

My Expectations

You should arrive on time Assignments should be neat Graphs should be easy to read and properly labeled Work should be easy to follow Credit will be subtracted from homework, quizzes,

exams, and lab reports for… work that is difficult to read or follow graphs that are not properly labeled or difficult to read incorrect or missing units incorrect notation

10

My Approach to Teaching

I would rather be a colleague than an administrator, but somebody has to be in charge. Faculty responsibilities

Teaching Mentoring “Certification”

Student responsibilities Professionalism Curiosity Conscientiousness

11

Problem Solving

There are several possible responses to difficult situations: Frustration and anger Confusion and helplessness Clear thinking

12

More on Problem Solving

Engineering students are comfortable with… Doing calculations Simple mathematical manipulations Staying focused

Engineering students are not comfortable with… Analysis Troubleshooting “Advanced math”

As a result, engineering students don’t like…

13

Design

Design generally involves open-ended problems. Insufficient information Many possible solutions

Design requires the designer to think about whether his/her creation makes sense.

We will have “design” problems on homework and quizzes/exams. I will address these issues as the semester progresses.

14

Use the Professor (me)

I’m here to help. Come to see me. Office hours after class and 2 – 4 pm TTh or by

appointment E-mail Random visits give you a random chance of finding me

in.

15

Keys to Success

Do the homework Keep up with the material and the class Read the book Use available resources

Notes Old exams Supplements

16

Rules

Do not mix domains: be sure time domain drawings and equations are separate from phasor domain drawings and equations.

Include units in all expressions that specify values, including intermediate results.

All circuit variables in all equations must be labeled on a diagram somewhere.

Use appropriate notation (phasor as opposed to time-dependent variable; ac/dc/total signal, etc.)

17

Suggestions

Get familiar with your calculator, especially concerning complex arithmetic.

Develop consistent methods for doing algebraic manipulations, especially when dealing with complex numbers.

When writing equations, postpone number substitution and numerical calculations as long as possible.