This laboratory accompanies EE171, Analog Electronics. It introduces basic analog circuit building blocks involving diodes, Op-Amps, BJT's and FET's. Their applications in implementing traditional discrete circuits and their unique forms applicable to digital integrated circuits will be presented through a series of representative experiments. Students are expected to have a thorough grounding in basic circuit analysis and be familiar with how to independently organize, layout and wire basic circuits without step-by-step instructions. A working familiarity and respect for basic test equipment is also assumed.

Our perspective will emphasize experimental work and concisely summarize that work through a discursive reporting style that expresses your individual grasp and understanding. 

General Lab Information

•  This should not be your first lab experience, and good lab techniques are expected. This means that each student is expected to have their own lab book where they will take notes on the experiments as they are completed. Twice during the quarter, the lab books will be checked of to make sure that you are keeping them up. Lab notes are not expected to be neat, but they are a primary source from which you will write your lab reports.
• You should show up to one of the supervised sections each week. During the supervised section, topics that relevent to the lab assignment will be discussed. Most of the experiments will take more time then 2 hours so be prepared to spend some time in the lab on your own.
• You will be given a keycode to BE113 that will allow you to use the lab whenever you need to. You can get a keycode from trailer 12 from 1-3pm. We are sharing the lab space with Prof. Schmidt's class (EE70) so please be respectful.
• You are your partner will work closely on the experiments together. You are expected to work together on the experiment. One partner doing all of the work will not be tolerated. Both partners need to be able to explain what the purpose of the experiment is as well as the underlying concepts.

• Note that although students are encourage to collaborate during, lab, each of you must individually prepare your own report submissions. They must be organized, neat and legible; typed work is mandatory.
• Your report should be complete, thorough, understandable and literate. You may use a concise summary style with clear discussions included where necessary. You should include a well-drawn and labeled engineering schematic (not a wiring diagram) for each significant circuit investigated.
• Your reports should follow some format, to give your report structure and to make sure that you address all of the important points.
• Graphics requiring- drawn straight lines should be done with a straight-edge where possible (resistors for example can be drawn freehand). Well-drawn free-hand sketches are permissible for schematics, but a template is encouraged, especially for bodies like logic symbols (typically 1/2 or 3/8 scale)
• Space must be provided in the flow of your discussion for any tables or figures. Reports are much easier to read and follow when done this way. Do not collect figures and drawings in a single appendix at the end of the report.

• Experimental facts should always be given in the past tense.
• Discussions or remarks about the presentation of data should mainly be in the present tense.
• Discussions of results can be in both the present and past tenses, shifting back and forth from experimental facts to the presentation.
• Any specific conclusions or deductions should be expressed in the past tense, general truths in the present tense.

Engineering students should develop the useful and practical habit of keeping orderly engineering notes as a prelude to acceptable professional practice. For example, in industry such notes are typically bound with numbered pages and often require signatures. Formally, they are legally required in any potentially patentable R&D work. Informally, they are quite valuable to providing us with documentation on any worthy engineering, work that we might be engaged in. For this latter point, which is the perspective taken in this course, it does not mean that they necessarily be neat or even particularly readable, i.e., to someone else besides you (in the somewhat artificial context of our class, though. they should be readable by your instructor). It does, however, mean some form of technical notes (whether done in a "lab setting" or not) where a chronologically traceable record was kept of what you thought about, perhaps scribbling ideas, equations, schematics, taking data etc., that eventually led to a final acceptable engineering solution to a particular problem being worked out. Therefore, all design details, schematics and experimental results will be imbedded in them. Thus, they are not limited to merely "taking data"

For our purposes the format will be quite simple: each page must have your name, date, topic and a page number in the upper right corner, successive pages following the first in an obvious sequence can be abbreviated for brevity. A useful scheme is one where notes pertaining to the same topic in a series all have the same date, your initials and appropriate page number. If you have never done this, a good way to start is to set up a section of loose leaf notes dedicated solely to this purpose. Any notes whatsoever you make to work on a given lab assignment should be written, scribbled, symbolized or thought about here. Be especially conscientious at keeping the upper right corner information filled in as you go along. If you have never done this before, learning to keep good engineering notes requires some initial discipline. Remember, they are not an end in themselves; we will not directly grade what is contained in them, but they must be turned in with the official lab report they pertain to. If they are incomplete or do not adequately support the report to which they are attached, the lab report will be returned ungraded.

Note that although Petersen requires Engineering Notes to be submitted with every report in his classes, we will not expect you to submit your engineering notes except for the check offs. 

• To pass the lab you must average over 70% on the written reports.
• Labs are due on the date specified. Labs will be penalized 5% per day that they are late.
• Twice during the quarter your engineering notebooks will be checked off by the TA, each check counts as a half lab. The collection times will be random, as the idea is to update your notes as you do the experiments. The lab books are your personal notes, so they don't need to be neat, but you need to demonstrate acceptable lab technique.