Design Project Ideas

Gathering some ideas for the design projects:

1. Interactive displays for the EE Proto bulletin board.
2. Clock displays: LED/analog? Voltmeters? Metric time? POSIX?
3. Time synchronization: GPS, WWV, or WiFi beacon-frame timestamp?
4. LED-strip-driver audio visualizer (light organ).
5. MIDI control board (such as this Kickstarter project) with interesting interfaces.
6. A digitally controlled analog synthesizer voice.
7. A digital synthesizer voice (like these boxes).
8. A complete drum machine box (with sequencer and voices).
9. Drone synthesizer (for example, Drone Commander or Drone Lab).
10. Lecture demonstrations for Controls (PID box? SSE box?).

Grades

For each of the first six labs, consider the following questions:

1. What worked?
2. What didn't?
3. What are your lessons learned?
4. What could (should) you have done better? 
5. What grade do you give yourself on the lab?
6. What changes (if any) should be made to this lab for future classes?

Please write up your answers to these questions (each answer only needs to be a sentence or two). Meet with the Professor to discuss your grades, and bring your answers with you. Let's wrap this up soon.

Lab B5

Two options for Lab B5:

1. Analog filter design: Design a three-channel audio spectrum analyzer, with fourth-order band-pass filters and corners at 20 Hz, 200 Hz, 2 kHz, and 20 kHz (at least three channels and at least fourth order; more would be better).
2. Analog computer design: Read Section 12.3 in Roberge's Operational Amplifiers. Simulate and build the scaled analog computer for Van der Pol's Equation in Figure 12.16. Then, simulate and build an analog computer for Duffing's Equation (or some other interesting differential equation in consultation with the staff).

Op amps! Op amps! Op amps!

October Events

Three events this month that you need to attend:

1. Sunday, October 18, 9am: Electronics Flea Market at MIT
2. Saturday, October 24, all day: Analog Heaven North East Synthfest at Olin
3. Monday, October 26, 7:30pm, Blade Runner, Olin Auditorium

Really. You should attend these events. Mark your calendars.