Lab 1
Introduction to Contemporary Electronics
I. Welcome to Contemporary Electronics
Contemporary Electronics is a one semester laboratory introduction to analog and digital electronics. Focus and continuity are provided by measuring electron currents in the nanoampere range. The first half of the semester includes seven laboratory exercises that highlight analog electronics. It concludes with analog data collection using either a commercial vacuum diode or a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor. The first half of the semester concludes with an open-book “midterm” exam (Lab 9).
Lab 2 Photolithography
In this exercise you will learn the principles of photolithography and printed circuit board preparation. You will prepare, expose, develop and etch a printed circuit board.
Lab 3 Diodes and Rectification
In this exercise you will become familiar with diodes and their use in simple circuits.
Lab 4 Transistor Circuits
In this exercise you will become acquainted with the operation of transistors in simple analog circuits.
Lab 5 Operational Amplifiers
In this exercise you will learn how to use an operational amplifier.
Lab 6 Construct an Analog Nanoammeter
In this exercise you will construct and calibrate an analog nanoammeter.
Lab 7 Collect Analog Data
In this exercise you will use your analog nanoammeter to record the current generated either by a commercial vacuum diode called a Field Emission Electron Microscope (Lab 7a), or by a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (Lab 7b).
Lab 8 Midterm Exam
In this open-book exercise you will perform a Fowler-Nordheim analysis of the analog data collected. Your instructor may decide to make this a take-home midterm exam.
The second half of the semester includes seven exercises that highlight digital electronics and features an introduction to LabVIEW™, a graphical and icon driven, data-flow programming language that has become the de facto standard for instrument control in industry and academe. The semester concludes with digital data collection using either a commercial vacuum diode or a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor.
Lab 9 Digital-to-Analog Converters
In this exercise you will investigate Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs). You will construct a 4 Bit DAC from a summing amplifier and test a commercial 8 Bit DAC.
Lab 10 Construct a Digital Nanoammeter
In this exercise you will construct and calibrate a digital nanoammeter by adding an Analog-to-Digital Converter and a voltage regulator to the output of your analog nanoammeter.
Lab 11 LabVIEW I
In this exercise you will create three LabVIEW Virtual Instruments (VIs). Instructions appear in GTutorial.llb, Exercise 14-16.
Lab 12 LabVIEW II
In this exercise you will create three LabVIEW Virtual Instruments. Instructions appear in GTutorial.llb, Exercise 17-19.
Lab 13 Digital Controllers
In this exercise you will use LabVIEW to communicate between a computer and a digital controller.
Lab 14 Data Acquisition
In this exercise you will use your serial communication expertise to create three Virtual Instruments (VIs) with LabVIEW that will be used to collect digital data.
In this exercise you will use your serial communication expertise to create three Virtual Instruments (VIs) with LabVIEW that will be used to collect digital data.
Lab 15 Collect Digital Data
In this exercise you will use your digital nanoammeter to record the current generated either by a commercial vacuum diode called a Field Emission Electron Microscope (Lab 15a), or by a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor (Lab 15b).
Contemporary Electronics could not have been completed without the technical assistance provided by John Behrendt and Bill Miller, staff members of the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of New Mexico http://panda.unm.edu/. Bill Miller deserves particular recognition for his help in keeping the courseware up-to-date.
II. Textbooks
Building Scientific Apparatus by J. H. Moore, C. C. Davis, and M. A. Coplan (Addison-Wesley, NY). ISBN 0-813-34006-3 (3rd edition or later).
The Art of Electronics by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill (Cambridge University Press, NY). ISBN 0-521-37095-7.
III. Lab Notebook
A lab notebook is required to clearly and accurately record all facets of a laboratory exercise including experimental data, observations, analysis, questions raised and a summary of class discussions. Lab notebooks are essential because they provide a record that can be used to support patent disclosures or settle issues of priority if disputes arise.
A laboratory notebook must be hard bound. A loose leaf or spiral bound laboratory notebook is not acceptable. Each page in a lab notebook must be numbered and dated. Your laboratory notebook will be collected and graded periodically.
IV. Homework Assignment
Update your lab notebook to include this exercise and questions raised in class.
Read the next laboratory exercise.
Complete GTutorial Exercise 1 and Exercise 2.
