tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82341658377767512972024-03-19T01:03:28.895-04:00EE Proto"Ah, to build, to build! That is the noblest art of all the arts." --- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-36621466343021141572019-01-31T10:54:00.000-05:002019-01-31T10:54:29.225-05:00Course NotesIt's been a while since I've taught this course, but it's not forgotten.<br />
<br />
Lately, I've been thinking about course notes (for this class, and for the other courses I teach). I have written a few things for analog circuit design and feedback systems, but they need to be polished before release. In a desperate plea for attention, I've created a Patreon (my hope is that a crowdfunding audience will provide me with the motivation to finish --- I'm not in it for the money).<br />
<br />
If you're interested in helping to motivate me, please visit:<a href="https://www.patreon.com/doctoranalog" target="_blank"> Kent Lundberg is creating textbooks on Patreon.</a>Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-13082334821645799792015-12-07T17:00:00.000-05:002015-12-07T17:12:02.604-05:00Final Lab Deliverables<ol>
<li>Please send me your revised your-own-goals assignment.</li>
<li>For each lab, turn in a brief, informal lab write-up (you and your partner, together). It should be no longer than five pages (including figures) and should include:</li>
<ul>
<li>Complete schematic, BOM, and budget</li>
<li>Plot showing the top layer (component side) of your layout</li>
<li>Picture of your assembled circuit board</li>
<li>Picture of a representative measurement (scope photo or data plot)</li>
<li>A paragraph describing your results</li>
<li>List of references used for the design</li>
</ul>
<li>For each lab, turn in a "grade sheet" (individually), answering the <a href="http://blog.eepro.to/2015/10/grades.html" target="_blank">six questions from the "Grading" post.</a></li>
</ol>
Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-43480814664053596082015-11-04T14:38:00.001-05:002015-11-04T14:38:41.528-05:00Your own goalsAs you work to revise your own learning goals for the class, please refer back to the <a href="http://blog.eepro.to/2015/09/assessment-and-grades.html">original assignment</a>. Let me know if you have any questions or comments about your goals revision.Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-1465032491506843722015-11-02T15:20:00.000-05:002015-11-02T15:21:33.767-05:00Design Project ScheduleFor the design project, the schedule is:<br>
<blockquote>
Architecture design review: November 2<br>
Schematic design review: November 9<br>
Layout design review: November 16<br>
Layout files due: November 19<br>
Boards back by: November 30<br>
Final presentations: December 10
</blockquote>
Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-25091512893497414792015-10-26T13:00:00.000-04:002015-10-26T13:00:02.595-04:00Design Project IdeasGathering some ideas for the design projects:<br />
<ol>
<li>Interactive displays for the EE Proto bulletin board.</li>
<li>Clock displays: LED/analog? Voltmeters? Metric time? POSIX?</li>
<li>Time synchronization: GPS, WWV, or WiFi beacon-frame timestamp?</li>
<li>LED-strip-driver audio visualizer (light organ).</li>
<li>MIDI control board (such as <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/staskevich/midiwidget-control-anything-via-midi" target="_blank">this Kickstarter project</a>) with interesting interfaces.</li>
<li>A digitally controlled analog synthesizer voice.</li>
<li>A digital synthesizer voice (like <a href="http://blog.eepro.to/2015/07/potential-audio-projects-with-midi.html" target="_blank">these boxes</a>).</li>
<li>A complete drum machine box (with sequencer and voices).</li>
<li>Drone synthesizer (for example, <a href="http://www.analoguehaven.com/grendel/dronecommander/" target="_blank">Drone Commander</a> or
<a href="http://casperelectronics.com/finished-pieces/drone-lab/drone-lab-v2/" target="_blank">Drone Lab</a>).</li>
<li>Lecture demonstrations for Controls (PID box? SSE box?).</li>
</ol>
Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-14768116442260271962015-10-19T15:25:00.000-04:002015-11-04T14:36:44.909-05:00GradesFor each of the first six labs, consider the following questions:<br />
<ol>
<li>What worked?</li>
<li>What didn't?</li>
<li>What are your lessons learned?</li>
<li>What could (should) you have done better? </li>
<li>What grade do you give yourself on the lab?</li>
<li>What changes (if any) should be made to this lab for future classes?</li>
</ol>
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.Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-72755202926842345562015-10-05T16:30:00.000-04:002015-10-05T16:48:01.971-04:00Lab B5Two options for Lab B5:<br />
<ol>
<li>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).</li>
<li>Analog computer design: Read Section 12.3 in Roberge's <i>Operational Amplifiers.</i> 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 <a href="http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Duffing_oscillator" target="_blank">Duffing's Equation</a> (or some other interesting differential equation in consultation with the staff).</li>
</ol>
Op amps! Op amps! Op amps! Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-70172222280059998182015-10-05T11:29:00.000-04:002015-10-05T11:29:30.068-04:00October EventsThree events this month that you need to attend:<br />
<ol>
<li>Sunday, October 18, 9am: <a href="http://w1mx.mit.edu/flea-at-mit" target="_blank">Electronics Flea Market</a> at MIT</li>
<li>Saturday, October 24, all day: <a href="http://www.alt-mode.com/ahne_olin/2015/" target="_blank">Analog Heaven North East Synthfest</a> at Olin</li>
<li>Monday, October 26, 7:30pm, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083658/" target="_blank">Blade Runner</a>, Olin Auditorium</li>
</ol>
Really. You should attend these events. Mark your calendars.Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-8371531078144917942015-09-24T15:18:00.000-04:002015-09-24T15:18:22.508-04:00Lab A4 MicrocontrollerLab A4 is to layout a simple microcontroller board. One possibility is a copy of the Arduino Micro, and you can <a href="http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardMicro" target="_blank">find the schematic on their website</a>. Other possibilities can be discussed with the staff.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlM55KVtqWRTEoUtdJGVXBV5_l94kJk4BPiFd6-X_6xoWz-psuBz0uGAGT8UT4o0QViECkW9I5BilsUG-FpZpXr5TzKwcoykJwGq0xPusIuOdNFc0xDbMWbKZ1cxLx5ISmL7IIOtn9RCB/s1600/1086-00.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrlM55KVtqWRTEoUtdJGVXBV5_l94kJk4BPiFd6-X_6xoWz-psuBz0uGAGT8UT4o0QViECkW9I5BilsUG-FpZpXr5TzKwcoykJwGq0xPusIuOdNFc0xDbMWbKZ1cxLx5ISmL7IIOtn9RCB/s1600/1086-00.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-5355508242169265502015-09-17T15:57:00.000-04:002015-09-17T17:14:15.003-04:00Lab A3 Teardown<b>Part 1:</b>
<ol>
<li>Get a toolkit (if you don't already have one).</li>
<li>Review the some <a href="http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown">teardowns at iFixit</a> and send me an email with a link to your favorite one, with a short explanation of why it's your favorite. Be sure to venture beyond the lists of "Recent" and "Popular". For some examples, see
<ul>
<li><a href="http://blog.eepro.to/2014/01/teardown-highlights-from-ifixit-2015.html">Teardown highlights from 2015</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://blog.eepro.to/2014/01/teardown-highlights-from-ifixit.html">Teardown highlights from 2014</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://blog.eepro.to/2013/01/teardown-highlights-from-ifixit.html">Teardown highlights from 2013</a>.</li>
</ul></li>
<li>Watch the following video (a teardown of an Anritsu spectrum analyzer from Mike's Electric Stuff; see <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/mikeselectricstuff">his YouTube channel</a> for more videos).</li>
</ol>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/eyA2lWQrxwg?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<hr>
<b>Part 2:</b><br><br> Commercial Electronics Autopsy: Take apart a piece of commercial electronics (provided).
Take pictures, study construction techniques, draw a block diagram, write a bill of materials of major parts (top ten), and find some data sheets, but don't draw a schematic. Make a list of the major components; the main integrated circuits are important, of course, but don't overlook interesting examples of passive components, sensors, connectors, switches (and other controls), internal cable assemblies, heat sinks,
mechanical elements, etc. Deliverables (as a web page):<br />
<ul>
<li>Link to service manual (if found)</li>
<li>Basic test results showing operation (or non-operation)</li>
<li>Pictures of the disassembly and the insides</li>
<li>Block diagram of the system</li>
<li>Bill of materials of ten major parts, with date codes and datasheets</li>
<li>Discussion of the mechanical design, including functional and decorative elements</li>
<li>Short presentation for informal show-and-tell session</li>
</ul>
If your item has an FCC ID code on it, be sure to check out if any of the FCC filings are public at <a href="http://transition.fcc.gov/oet/ea/fccid/">http://transition.fcc.gov/oet/ea/fccid/</a>.
<blockquote>Extra credit for salvaging and reusing some interesting part from your autopsy (for example: motors, sensors, LEDs, switches, fans, etc.).</blockquote>Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-14301457803142578972015-09-10T15:00:00.000-04:002015-09-21T15:20:44.000-04:00Lecture pointersHere are some pointers for lecture notes on this blog:<br />
<ul>
<li>Lecture 1: <a href="http://blog.eepro.to/2013/01/example-circuit-boards.html" target="_blank">Example circuit boards</a></li>
<li>Lecture 1: <a href="http://blog.eepro.to/2013/01/toolkit.html" target="_blank">Toolkit contents</a></li>
<li>Lecture 2: <a href="http://blog.eepro.to/2013/01/schematics-and-boms.html" target="_blank">Schematic dos and don'ts</a></li>
<li>Lecture 2: <a href="http://blog.eepro.to/2013/01/bills-of-material.html" target="_blank">Bills of material</a></li>
<li>Lecture 4: <a href="http://blog.eepro.to/2013/02/resistors-and-capacitors.html" target="_blank">Resistors and capacitors</a></li>
</ul>
Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-26924221635478490632015-09-08T16:00:00.000-04:002015-09-08T16:44:01.206-04:00Course ScheduleHere is a (preliminary) schedule for the lab projects:<br />
<blockquote>
Labs 1 and 2: due by September 14<br>
Lab 3: due September 24<br>
Lab 4: layout files due October 8<br>
Lab 5: due October 19<br>
Lab 6: due October 29
</blockquote>
For the design project, the rough schedule is:<br>
<blockquote>
Project proposal: October 22<br>
Architecture design review: October 29<br>
Schematic design review: November 5<br>
Layout design review: November 12<br>
Layout files due: November 19<br>
Boards back by: November 30<br>
Final presentations: December 10
</blockquote>
For your own learning goals, the schedule is:<br>
<blockquote>
Initial statement of goals: September 17<br>
Midterm downselect and revision: October 22<br>
Final deliverables: December 10
</blockquote>
Some of these dates may be flexible. Some of these dates are not (when the layout files are due). Completing the labs and the design project will require some multitasking (particularly around Labs 5 and 6).<br>
<br>
Chronologically:
<blockquote>
September 14: Labs 1 and 2<br>
September 17: Initial statement of goals<br>
September 24: Lab 3<br>
October 8: Lab 4 layout files due (no slip)<br>
October 19: Lab 5<br>
October 22: Goals revision and project proposal<br>
October 29: Lab 6 and architecture design review<br>
November 5: Schematic design review<br>
November 12: Layout design review<br>
November 19: Layout files due (no slip)<br>
November 30: Boards back<br>
December 10: Final deliverables and presentations<br>
</blockquote>
Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-85797763512404074172015-09-05T18:00:00.000-04:002015-09-05T18:06:39.335-04:00Assessment and Grades<div class="tr_bq">
Your grade in EE Proto will be based on three key self assessments, of equal weight:</div>
<ol>
<li>Your performance on each of the first six labs (equally weighted).</li>
<li>Your success on, effort in, and "lessons learned" from your design project.</li>
<li>A start-of-term statement of your own learning goals for the course, a middle-of-term revision of these goals, and an end-of-term assessment thereof.</li>
</ol>
Your own learning goals, and your assessment thereof, will take the form of an evolving, written assignment that you will develop in collaboration with the teaching staff:
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A first-draft statement of your learning goals</b> (about half a page, due September 17). Create a Google document and share it with the professor (at his Gmail account). Write a list of three to five goals that you would like to achieve during this course. Your goals can take any form as long as they represent your own interests and learning objectives for this course. For each goal, briefly explain in three to four sentences, what you hope to do or learn, how you plan to achieve it, and how you will measure success.
<br /><br />
At least one of your goals should be a "service" goal, that is, an effort to make the course better in the future. Some examples: a how-to guide or instruction manual, a new assignment or lab for the course, content for the blog or course website, a course wiki, a new (electronic) display for the AC hallway bulletin board, etc., etc.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Goals down-select and revision</b> (one to two pages, due mid term after Lab 6). From your first draft, pick your three "final" goals for the course (including one or more service goals). You may clarify, revise, or change your goals at this point. For each of your final goals, add a detailed description of your final deliverables and assessment plan. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><b>Final deliverables,</b> as described in your mid-term plan (due end of term).</li>
</ul>
Your grades on the labs, design project, and your own goals will be determined and assigned by you, in consultation with the teaching staff. Your final (letter) grade in the class will be determined by the average of these grades, plus an upward-adjustment-factor, based on your class participation and possible extra-credit work (as determined by the professor).Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-6727437119030165652015-09-03T15:10:00.000-04:002015-09-14T17:25:35.356-04:00Lab 1: Simulate and FabricateThe assignment for Lab 1 is to get a jump start on simulating circuits and doing board layout. Here are the individual steps:<br />
<ol>
<li>Complete the first-day questionnaire.</li>
<li>Install DipTrace on your laptop. <a href="http://wikis.olin.edu/it/doku.php?id=diptrace" target="_blank">See the Olin instructions here.</a></li>
<li>Install the Windows version of LTSpice on your laptop. <a href="http://www.linear.com/designtools/software/">Download here.</a></li>
<li>Get the DipTrace <a href="http://www.diptrace.com/books/tutorial.pdf" target="_blank">Tutorial PDF file.</a></li>
<li>Complete the schematic and layout tutorial, pages 1 through 79.</li>
<li>Complete a transient simulation of the "Astable Flip Flop" in LTSpice. Plot the current in the LEDs over a ten-second period.</li>
<li>Complete a second layout of the "Astable Flip Flop" using the following surface-mount parts (on a two-layer board):
<ul>
<li>Transistors: ON Semiconductor MMBT3904LT1G (SOT23 package, double check pin assignments!)</li>
<li>Capacitors: 33uF TDK Corp C3216X5R1C336M160AB (1206 package)</li>
<li>LEDs: Lite-On LTST-C170GKT (0805 package)</li>
<li>Resistors R2 and R3: 680 ohms (0805 package)</li>
<li>Resistors R1 and R4: 34 kilohms (0805 package)</li>
<li>9V battery connector (use same through-hole connector)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Minimize the size of your PCB layout to save space. Less than two square-inches is the goal.</li>
<li>Produce Gerber files for your design and submit them to <a href="https://oshpark.com/">OSH Park</a> for fabrication.</li>
</ol>
This assignment is the whole class in a nutshell.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpE2mPtE663-aeTJnP2XNiU8qCXjTU2Euf0e01G8azZP2J_eu6KWR_EYXLHZ0RanzI4TQ9tyj2caYkcz5Cm3oDbJEU2aQCxNh69SbOfWqQUnvqPInTqcYMT62e3J_T8y8MsbEcT09XP_pk/s1600/astableff.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpE2mPtE663-aeTJnP2XNiU8qCXjTU2Euf0e01G8azZP2J_eu6KWR_EYXLHZ0RanzI4TQ9tyj2caYkcz5Cm3oDbJEU2aQCxNh69SbOfWqQUnvqPInTqcYMT62e3J_T8y8MsbEcT09XP_pk/s320/astableff.png" width="320" /></a></div>
Note that the ground connection isn't strictly necessary, since this circuit is battery powered, but its inclusion will improve the convergence of your LTspice simulation.<br />
<br />Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-67750141732469286572015-09-03T15:05:00.000-04:002015-09-08T13:08:07.666-04:00Lab Assignment TracksThis offering of EE Proto has three possible tracks of laboratory assignments. You should choose a track to complete based on your interests and background. The three tracks are listed below, along with the necessary course prerequisites.<br />
<br />
TRACK A (Classic EE Proto, prereq: PoE)<br />
<ol>
<li>Flasher tutorial lab</li>
<li>OSH Park submission</li>
<li>Commercial product teardown lab</li>
<li>Micro-controller board layout</li>
<li>Commercial product reverse engineering</li>
<li>Micro-controller board assembly</li>
<li>Design project</li>
</ol>
TRACK B (Op-Amp Circuits, prereq: SigSys)<br />
<ol>
<li>Flasher tutorial lab</li>
<li>Nonlinear oscillator lab</li>
<li>Sine-wave oscillator lab</li>
<li>Layout of oscillators</li>
<li>Filters or analog-computer lab</li>
<li>Oscillators assembly</li>
<li>Sound-generating design project</li>
</ol>
TRACK C (Advanced Circuits, prereqs: Circuits and Controls)<br />
<ol>
<li>Op-amp analysis problem set</li>
<li>Temperature probe design</li>
<li>Amplitude stabilized oscillators</li>
<li>Layout of probe and oscillator</li>
<li>Transistor voltage clamp</li>
<li>Capacitive-load lab or PLL lab</li>
<li>50-ohm driver design project</li>
</ol>
<br />
Note that due dates between the tracks will be synchronized (for example, everyone in the class is submitting a circuit layout for fabrication in Lab 4 on the same day), and will be announced in class. The first six labs will be assigned about one per week, and the design project will be completed during the second half of the term.<br />
<br />
PS: If you have taken EE Proto previously and completed Track A, you can repeat the course (as a 2 or 4 credit Independent Study or OSS) and complete Track B or Track C. Ask the professor for details.Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-53146807242414437332015-09-03T15:00:00.000-04:002015-09-03T16:40:29.901-04:00First-Day QuestionnairePlease answer the following questions in an email to the professor:<br />
<ol>
<li>Name? Major? Year?</li>
<li>What other "EE-type" courses have you taken or are taking (beyond PoE)? SigSys? Circuits? MADVLSI? A/D Comms? Controls? Any other hardware-oriented courses or seminars?</li>
<li>Have you previously designed and built any printed circuit boards?</li>
<li>What course topics are you most interested in?</li>
<li>What course topics are you least interested in?</li>
<li>Which lab track(s) are you most interested in?</li>
<li>Generally, what do you hope to learn in EE Proto?</li>
<li>Do you play guitar or keyboards? Are you familiar with effects pedals such as distortion, overdrive, echo, reverb, chorus, phaser, and flanger?</li>
<li>You're in a desert walking along in the sand when all of the sudden you look down, and you see a tortoise. It's crawling toward you. You reach down, and you flip the tortoise over on its back. The tortoise lays on its back, its belly baking in the hot sun, beating its legs trying to turn itself over, but it can't, not without your help. But you're not helping. Why is that?</li>
</ol>
Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-89733183341353844352015-09-02T16:00:00.000-04:002015-09-02T16:06:19.497-04:00Fall 2015Tomorrow is the first day of classes!<br />
<ul>
<li>New term (Fall instead of Spring)!</li>
<li>New course structure!</li>
<li>New laboratory assignments!</li>
<li>New grading and assessment system!</li>
<li>New love for the exclamation mark!</li>
</ul>
Stay tuned!<br />
<br />Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-75493691702017451512015-07-26T18:41:00.004-04:002015-07-26T18:41:52.880-04:00Potential Audio Projects (with MIDI)Hmm... One of these?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CVW_RmsD1SM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CVW_RmsD1SM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
Or one of these?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/NDXrvugz6-0/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NDXrvugz6-0?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
Or both?<br />
<br />Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-10645268634998126072015-03-31T11:35:00.000-04:002015-03-31T11:42:21.700-04:00BOMs are easy...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HiDy973_2sUtQMBnNCqQB7xEYv2OdkzyE03dAicGy-fOSgZ7-Nk30fpSPUJreX-KFasvbMcltwTsTFIiMIrNBHuae87XUc9cHN1KjI2A9Shx69tJUsrmabj3ujUrn58Dn9ZlQreaWVH-/s1600/59426178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-HiDy973_2sUtQMBnNCqQB7xEYv2OdkzyE03dAicGy-fOSgZ7-Nk30fpSPUJreX-KFasvbMcltwTsTFIiMIrNBHuae87XUc9cHN1KjI2A9Shx69tJUsrmabj3ujUrn58Dn9ZlQreaWVH-/s1600/59426178.jpg" /></a></div>
Originally seen in <a href="http://www.proto2prod.com/proto2prod/2015/3/11/creating-and-optimizing-a-bill-of-materials-1">this article,</a> via <a href="https://twitter.com/bunniestudios" target="_blank">@bunniestudios</a>.Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-67111137627467302472015-03-23T15:33:00.001-04:002015-03-23T15:52:30.536-04:00Post-Spring-Break ScheduleToday, March 23: Complete system block diagram. Include at least ten blocks and a list of at least ten major parts.<br />
<br />
Looking forward:<br />
<ul>
<li>March 30: Complete schematic and parts list (design reviews Monday and Thursday).</li>
<li>April 6: Complete board layout (design reviews Monday and Thursday).</li>
<li>April 13: Final submissions (DipTrace files to Jay on Monday).</li>
</ul>
Parts update: Recommended micro USB connector with board locks: <a href="http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/2040002-1/A108263CT-ND/4021990" target="_blank">TE Connectivity <span class="seohtagbold" itemprop="breadcrumb">2040002-1</span></a> (and by "recommended", I mean everyone should use this connector; and by "should" I mean "must").Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-69269742420816384972015-03-09T16:08:00.000-04:002015-03-24T13:17:15.696-04:00More Design Project IdeasMore design project ideas (an improved list, in no particular order):<br />
<ol>
<li>Audio signal processing and LED visualization for DJ performance.</li>
<li>Clock displays: seven-segment displays with TBD synchronization.</li>
<li>Clock POV display with TBD synchronization.</li>
<li>Hand sensors and interfacing to a USB human interface device (the glove).</li>
<li>Interactive buttons (such as shirt buttons) for the EE Proto bulletin board.</li>
<li>USB drive with RFID authentication.</li>
<li>VGA-output Etch-a-Sketch.</li>
<li>VGA-compatible audio visualizer.</li>
</ol>
Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-80580075303605823202015-03-02T10:50:00.001-05:002015-03-24T13:18:13.552-04:00Design Project IdeasGathering some ideas for the design projects:<br />
<ol>
<li>A complete drum machine box.</li>
<li>An analog synthesizer voice.</li>
<li>A digital synthesizer voice (like <a href="http://meeblip.com/" target="_blank">the Meeblip</a>).</li>
<li>VGA-compatible audio visualizer.</li>
<li>LED-driver audio visualizer (light organ).</li>
<li>Lecture demonstrations for Controls.</li>
<li>MIDI control board (such as <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/staskevich/midiwidget-control-anything-via-midi" target="_blank">this Kickstarter project</a>).</li>
<li>Drone synthesizer (for example, <a href="http://www.analoguehaven.com/grendel/dronecommander/" target="_blank">Drone Commander</a> or <a href="http://casperelectronics.com/finished-pieces/drone-lab/drone-lab-v2/" target="_blank">Drone Lab</a>).</li>
<li>Clock displays: LED/analog? Voltmeters? Metric time? POSIX?</li>
<li>Clock synchronization: GPS, WWV, or WiFi beacon-frame timestamp?</li>
<li>Interactive displays for the EE Proto bulletin board.</li>
<li>RF signal-strength meters and an AM-band spectrum analyzer.</li>
</ol>
Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-2882666288899305592015-03-02T08:59:00.003-05:002015-03-02T08:59:54.759-05:00Homework for MondayHere are the items you should be working on for Monday:<br />
<ol>
<li>Feedback on Lab 4 assignment and projects.</li>
<li>Idea for Lab 5 project.</li>
<li>Design Project Proposal.</li>
</ol>
Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-14119366717022053262015-02-11T08:30:00.000-05:002015-02-12T11:45:18.186-05:00Lab 4In Lab 4 you will complete the layout of several independent circuits. We will get these designs fabricated, and you will assemble and test the circuits in Lab 6. There are three circuits that you will lay out for this lab:<br />
<ol>
<li>The surface-mount LED flasher that you completed as part of <a href="http://blog.eepro.to/2015/02/diptrace-tutorial-day.html" target="_blank">DipTrace Tutorial Day.</a> </li>
<li>A simple microcontroller board. One possibility is a copy of the Arduino Micro, and you can <a href="http://arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardMicro" target="_blank">find the schematic on their website</a>. Other possibilities can be discussed with the staff.</li>
<li>An analog drum voice. Schematics will be provided in class.</li>
</ol>
To complete this assignment, you must deliver the following documentation:<br />
<ol>
<li>Simulations of the first and third circuits in LTSpice</li>
<li>A complete schematic for each circuit</li>
<li>A complete bill of materials for all the parts (including <a href="http://www.digikey.com/" target="_blank">source</a>, stock number, and cost)</li>
<li>A complete layout in DipTrace (suitable for fabrication)</li>
</ol>
Lab 4 is due Monday, February 23. Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8234165837776751297.post-80326681753227939272015-02-09T18:00:00.000-05:002015-02-09T18:07:43.283-05:00Drum Machine DocumentariesHomework: watch the following videos about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_TR-808" target="_blank">Roland TR-808 drum machine.</a><br />
<br />
First up is a short trailer for an upcoming documentary called <a href="http://808themovie.com/">"808"</a> (premiering at SXSW).<br />
<br />
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lIS-o_--wqY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
<br />
Second is an excerpt from the BBC documentary "The Shape of Things that Hum".<br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VCJReSDmqkg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<br />
<br />
If you have the time (82 minutes), the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Mt2-mlTz7Y" target="_blank">full documentary is on YouTube.</a> It discusses a number of important electronic instruments, including the MiniMoog synthesizer, the vocoder, the Yamaha DX7, the CMI Farilight, the Simmons drum machine, the Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer, the Roland TR-808 drum machine, and the Akai Sampler.
Doctor Analoghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10331958951440669259noreply@blogger.com0