General course information:

Let's take a look at what students actually did accomplish in Spring 2007, the last time this course was offered!

Everybody did all the analog and digital labs, and all the groups built a working computer and turned it into a function generator (using Tom Hayes' revised Art of Electronics labs from Harvard!) (lefthand below).  Anya and Ben (center) built a

Ella and Greg got their robotic sailboat working, but they wanted the sail to move by a wider angle, so they built a mechanism to accomplish this (left and center).  Peter and Kent built and programmed a Pong (TM) game, and played it with Peter Love.:

Course description.
Welcome to Physics 316! This lab course is open to any students, physics majors or not, who have completed Physics 211 lab, or its equivalent.

In a physics program, the subject of electronics plays a double role. First, it provides a large collection of tools that are essential in designing physics experiments of any kind. Second, it can provide an opening to applied physics and engineering. There is hardly any topic in a physics program that is more generally useful than electronics. There are also important physical principles at work in semiconductor electronics, some of which are still areas of active research; we will touch on these to the extent we can manage given our tight schedule. You will also gain a deeper understanding of the inner workings of computers and electronic devices that will stand you in good stead in almost any career, in addition to refining your problem-solving and hands-on skills to the utmost.

This course guides you through a comprehensive exploration of basic electronic design, both analog and digital. Topics include transistor and operational amplifier circuits, filters, analog-digital conversion, digital electronics, computer design and interfacing, and even a little assembly language programming. You will construct a microprocessor-based computer. At the end of the class, you will engage in a short independent project, in which you might interface your computer to a device in the outside world (e.g., a voice synthesizer chip, a stepper motor, temperature sensor, etc.), or build an entirely new circuit. As we progress through the course, you should be thinking of ideas for what you’d like to do in this project.

Here are some highlights of this offering:

> We will be using updated computer labs rather than the rather outdated ones in the Horowitz and Hill Lab Manual

> We will also use for the first time at Haverford, circuit simulation software called MultiSim, so you will get experience in this important aspect of electronics design and testing.

> Finally, Phyics 316 will be the 06-07 home of Cookie-of-the-Week!

A good time will be had by all (in amidst all the hard, exhilarating lab work!)

Instructor info:
Suzanne Amador Kane (lecture)
Office: KINSC L103 (telephone 896-1198)
E-mail: samador@haverford.edu
Please feel free to drop in at my office any time, or make an appointment if you prefer.  I will also be happy to reply to your e-mails.  Do not hesitate to contact me.  If you are having trouble understanding the material or solving the homework problems, come and see me as soon as possible!  Also, please let me know right away if you have any concerns about the course or ideas about how to make it better.

I will announce my office hours after everyone's schedules have settled in.

Location and times:
Laboratory: M & F 1:05 to 4pm in KINSC H106. (It is not uncommon for students to work later.) I expect you to put in some extra time (ordinarily no more than three hours per week) in lab outside these hours; you will be given cardkey access to the lab room 24/7.

Recitation: Wednesday 1:30-2:30pm, KINSC H106.

Textbook and supplies.
Required texts: The Art of Electronics, 2nd Ed. by Paul Horowitz and Winfred Hill. This book is considered the bible on the subject of electronics. Even in its second edition, it was published a long time ago, but the material is all still relevant. I will make available in the lab updated references to the best integrated circuit chips available, but H&H is still an excellent guide.

Student Manual for the Art of Electronics by Tom Hayes and Paul Horowitz. This contains most of the laboratory exercises we’ll be doing, plus additional explanatory material.

Several other electronics texts will be placed on reserve in the White Science Library.

Requirements.
You will need to allocate an average of 12-13 hours per week to this course, including labs and recitation.

Regular attendance: You are expected to attend all of the scheduled laboratory and recitation sessions. If you are ill or need to miss class due to special circumstances, you must contact me in advance. Especially in a small course like this, each person counts a lot! This is one course where attendance is EVERYTHING. If you must miss a class for athletics or other commitments, you will absolutely have to make it up in a timely fashion.

Advance preparation: You should come to lab and recitation prepared. I will inform you in advance of the reading relevant to each session. Reading assignments will sometimes be substantial. You will find it impossible to complete the required lab exercies in the time provided unless you have completed the reading before lab.

Homework: There will be regular homework assignments, but these will usually be lighter than in other upper-level physics courses. These assignments are an essential part of mastering electronics. You are permitted two one-week extensions without any penalty during the semester when you are stressed out with work. Just email me indicating that you are giving yourself a “free extension.” The two extensions must be used for separate problem sets; they cannot be combined to get a two-week extension on one problem set. Save them for when you really need them. Other than these extensions, work turned in late will not be graded, but will be given about 1/3 credit for a reasonable effort. Please do not split up the assignments.

Lab Reports: No formal lab reports are required. However, I will inform you of questions on each lab exercise that should be answered in a brief report. Your answers should include any supporting calculations needed. Your report should also contain graphs or tables asked for in the lab manual, and circuit diagrams (including component values) for any circuits not given in the lab manual or handouts. You need not include a reiteration of the procedures given in the lab manual or handouts. You should use the numbering scheme of the lab manual for your entries. Reports will ordinarily be due at the beginning of the next lab session.

Exams: There will be two 90-minute-long take-home exams (open book) during the semester, plus a 3-hour take home final.

E-mail: We expect you to read your e-mail and we will occasionally send you announcements and messages in this way.

Submission of class work by e-mail is not permitted without prior approval of the instructor.

Final deadline: All homework and lab work must be turned in by 5pm, Last Day of Classes: May 4, 2007.

Grading.
The grade for the course will be based on the following weighting:
 

Homework assignments:	20%
Midterm exams:	17% each (34% total for two exams)
Final exam:	31%
Lab & Lab Reports:	15%

Note: you must complete and report on all labs to pass the course.

Accommodations for Disabilities
Students who think they may need accommodations in this course because of the impact of a disability are encouraged to meet with me privately early in the semester. Students should also contact Rick Webb, Coordinator, Office of Disabilities Services (rwebb@haverford.edu, 610-896-1290) to verify their eligibility for reasonable accommodations as soon as possible. Early contact will help to avoid unnecessary inconvenience and delays.

Honor Code.
You are encouraged to discuss homework with each other (except on any “individual” problems which may be assigned), but only after attempting each problem yourself. (Discussion without prior effort, except to clarify what the question is asking, is not permitted.) You may consult with me about any problem (including individual problems), but again only after attempting it yourself. Your written work must be your own. We explicitly forbid copying down work done by another student, either from a blackboard or from paper. This is how you learn from your courses--don't shortcircuit this process that helps you.

For your lab reports, you may freely discuss them with your partner. (That is, you need not/should not work on your own first before talking things over with your partner.) For the time we have together in lab, team learning is the most effective approach. However, what you write in your report must be your own, even if it simply summarizes what your lab partner has just taught you.