Electronic Instrumentation

Each week consists of the following components:

• Electronics theory

• Making predictions about how that week's project will work

• Programming and/or simulations

• Building Circuits or devices and taking measurements

• Evaluating results of the three prior components.

Octal 1: Passive Electronics:

• Learn the electronic theory behind passive components (resistor(s), capacitor(s), inductor(s)), individually and in a circuit (i.e. Thevenin equivalents, filtering)

• Learn how to use electronic equipment such as an oscilloscope, function generator and ALPACA.

• Predict how the combination of such components results in a -frequency (in)dependent- output voltage or current

• Verify your prediction with an LTSpice simulation

• Build these circuits with the classroom equipment and ALPACA: explore their behaviour by slightly altering the circuit, and analyse the results in time and Fourier domain

• Analyse and evaluate your predictions, simulations, measurement and analysis and come to a consistent conclusion, which also takes into account the effect of instrumentation on your data

Octal 2: Programming and Data Acquisition:

• Develop programming skills in Python (calculations, for loop, if statement, comparison, functions, plotting)

• Write programs to control instruments

• Acquire, record and analyze (Analog en Digital I/O) data via a computer

• Understand, control and measure Aliasing, using anti-aliasing and/or digital filtering

Octal 3: Active Electronics:

• Understand the electronic theory behind directional components (e.g. a diode) and active components (operational amplifiers, a.k.a. opamps).

• Design, simulate and build diode circuits, amplifiers, sensors, bridge circuits and instrumentation amplifiers

• Understand and adjust for non-ideal behavior of diodes and opamps

• Understand and adjust for noise en interference

Octal 4: Active Electronics continued and Project:

• Continue the use of sensors

• Design, simulate and build an oscillator.

• Design and construct a measuring device (for voltammetry)