Project Description
The final project will put to work a majority of the concepts and tools you have learned in the class. The project can be individual or in teams of two people.
The final project involves:
- Design of a circuit using the theory tools from the first part of class
- Capture of the schematic of the circuit
- Layout of a 2-layer PCB for the circuit
- Assembly of the PCB
- Testing
- Documenting the operation of the circuit and your experiences
The electronic circuit must feature as a minimum:
- Digital control devices (digital logic gates, microcontrollers, FPGA's, etc)
- At least one analog circuit for input or output (op-amps, transistors, filters)
-
Power regulation. The power input can be selected from:
- Batteries (preferred)
- An AC transformer - you cannot work on the 120Vac part, only the low voltage part
- An unregulated DC transformer and/or power supply
The design must be simple and adhere to the following limits:
- A maximum of 30 parts/components (excluding bypass capacitors and pull-up/down resistors)
- No components of more than 30 pins
- No "ball grid array" (BGA) components
- A maximum of 3 operating voltages
While there is no obvious/deterministic method to figure out exactly how complex the board will be, note that all project PCB's will be limited to:
- 2 layers (top and bottom)
- Round holes
- "Normal" shapes
Deliverables
The following must be delivered for the project:
-
Schematic
- Schematic - a full schematic of the project
- Bill of materials - the list of all components, including package and ordering information
-
Layout
- Layout file - the CAD file with the circuit board layout
- Layout plots - 1:1 printouts of individual layers and combined board
- Manufacturing files - the files which will be used to manufacture the PCB
-
Documentation
- Circuit documentation - a document which is effectively a "data sheet" for your circuit (more details on documentation will be provided later)
- Experience documentation - a document which describes your experience in designing, building, and testing the circuit
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Circuit
- If your layout files are ready in time for manufacturing, you will turn in your actual PCB (which you can keep later) for evaluation (assembly and operation); otherwise you will turn in another previously designed circuit
Example Projects
-
Motion Control
-
Closed loop control of multiple motors
- For multi-DOF robot arms
- To drive 4+ wheels
-
Closed loop control of multiple motors
-
Sensing
- Force feedback sensor
- Electronic "wall"
-
Communications
- Digital wireless system integration
Proposal
The proposal in Week #8 should include:
- A description of the project in words, stating what your system is going to do and how you plan to implement it
- A block diagram of the circuit design (black box design without full detail)
-
A set of specifications that define in detail:
- Inputs and outputs (whether electrical or physical)
- What tests will be used to prove that it functions properly
The proposal should be typewritten.