This course is divided into three main sections. Section 1 will run for the first 5 weeks of the semester and will expose students to general troubleshooting and problem solving techniques for advanced electronics circuits and systems. Sections 2 and 3 will run concurrently for the remainder of semester and are strongly focused on problem solving and effective troubleshooting of circuits and systems for telecommunication and for instrumentation and control, respectively. Manufacturers’ data sheets, schematic diagrams, systems design specifications and operation and service manuals will be provided. Students are required to use this information along with their knowledge of electronic circuits and systems designs to implement effective repairs or redesigns. Although fixed 4-hour sessions are timetabled each week students are encouraged to use the open lab hours to work on their assigned weekly task.
Students will be normally required to complete two sections - Section 1 and either Section 2 or Section 3 depending of their area of specialization (telecommunication or industrial automation).
Section 1: Practical analysis of advanced electronic circuits and equipment
This section will run for the first five weeks of the semester. Students will carry out diagnosis and repairs of general purpose electronic circuits and equipment. These include power supplies, battery backup systems (e.g. UPS), inverters, computer mother boards and peripherals, electronic consumer appliances, light projectors, and electronics test equipment (oscilloscopes, meters, etc.).
Section 2: Practical analysis of telecommunication circuits, devices and systems
This section will run concurrently with section 3 and targets the students who specialized in telecommunications. Students will perform diagnostics and repairs of telecommunication circuit and systems. These include radio frequency (RF) transmitters and receivers, antennas and antenna placements, software tools, signal strength measurements, bandwidth verification and control, optimization of telecommunication networks, field strength measurements using spectrum analyzers, up-link and down-link communication with satellites via antennas on Physics Dept roof, fiber optic networks and components, and 3G and 4G equipment and implementations. Wherever possible, actual industry diagnostics tasks will be assigned in collaboration with our industry partners.
Section 3: Practical analysis of instrumentation and control systems
This section will run concurrently with section 2 and targets the students who specialized in Instrumentation and control. Students will perform diagnostics and repairs of instrumentation and control systems. These include sensor analysis and calibration, instrument repair and calibrations, industrial motors and their controllers, industrial power supplies and power systems, programmable logic controllers (PLC) and PLC programming, control room operation, fault finding in industrial control system loops, and optimization of automation processes. Wherever possible, actual industry diagnostics tasks will be assigned in collaboration with our industry partners.
One 4 hr final practical exam 40%
Section 1: Five laboratory reports (equal weighting) 20%
Section 2 or 3: Eight industry-type technical reports (equal weighting) 40%
Students are required to pass all components of this course.
After completing this course, students should be able to:
Reference Textbook:
1. Bachmutsky,A. (2010) Systems design for telecommunication gateways. John Wiley and Sons. ISBN-13: 978-0470743003
2. Rigatos, G. G. (2011) Modeling and control for intelligent industrial systems. Springer-Verlag Publications, ISBN-13: 978-3642178740
3. Kiong, T. K. & Putra, A. S. (2011) Drives and control for industrial automation. Springer-Verlag Publications. ISBN-13: 978-1848824249
4. Khandpur, R. S. (2006) Troubleshooting electronic equipment. McGraw-Hill Companies. ISBN-13 978-0071-47731-4
5. Mazur, G. A. & Proctor, T. E. (2009) Troubleshooting Electrical/Electronic System -3rd Edition. Amer Technical Publication. ISBN-13 978-0826-91791-1
6. Comer, D. J. (2003) Advanced electronic circuit designs. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0471-22828-8
Internet Sources:
1. Practical troubleshooting of electronic circuits for engineers and technicians
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