ECE 4902    Analog IC Design     B2017

Lab Information


Labs:  No formally scheduled labs.  Lab work can be done at any time space is available in AK227.  TA help will be present in AK227 during course help session hours:
You are welcome to complete the lab work at other times when AK227 is open and not used for other classes.

Parts: You will need three of the CD4007/MC14007 MOSFET array chips.  See the course staff to get these; you can keep them throughout the term.

Prelabs:  Some labs include prelab exercises.  Given the open lab policy, these will not be checked prior to your starting the lab.  However you are strongly encouraged to do the prelab ahead of time to make better use of your time in the lab.  Also, any results from the prelab that are relevant to the technical content of the lab should be included in your lab writeup.

Lab Reports: Due at 5:00pm in the ECE office on dates as follows:

Lab Writeup(s) Due Date
Labs 1, 2, 3 Nov 13
Lab 4 Nov 20
Labs 5, 6, 7 Nov 30
Lab 8 Dec 4
Lab 9 Dec 11
Labs 10, 11, 12 (Optional Extra Credit) Dec 15


Late Policy: One lab writeup may be submitted up to one week late, no penalty. Beyond that, no credit.

Work in the lab may be in pairs; or individually if space is available. No groups of 3 or more!

Regardless of the arrangement in lab, each person must have his/her own lab notebook and do prelab work individually. Each person must be present in the lab and do the work to receive credit for the lab.  It is contrary to the course academic honesty policy to attempt to get credit if your partner has done a signifcant majority of the work.

Only one lab report per group per week is necessary. Please be sure that your ECE mailbox number appears on the front of your report when you hand it in!

LAB NOTEBOOK
Each person should have his/her own lab notebook. The best type of notebook is the bound kind with numbered pages, although spiral bound is acceptable. Looseleaf in a 3 ring binder is not acceptable! If you have a suitable notebook from a previous lab course, starting a new section for this course is OK. If the page numbers aren't printed in the notebook, number them as you go along. It's a good idea to use prominent headings to label the beginning of each new lab experiment, as well as the sections within each lab.

All entries should be made in ink. If you make a mistake, cross out - never erase or tear pages out of the notebook. Each page should be dated. Although the lab notebooks will not be handed at the end of the term, these are good habits to get into since (in the legal world) the lab notebook is an essential part of documenting the development of new ideas (e.g. for patent purposes). The prelab should be done in your lab notebook. Completing the prelab is very important to using your time in the lab efficiently. Knowing what to expect from your lab measurements will allow you to catch mistakes before you have wasted a lot of time. How much detail should be recorded in the lab notebook? There should be enough so that someone else can duplicate your experiment and verify your results. Show all essential calculations which are used to interpret measured data. Comment as necessary - you will need to return to the notebook later when doing the writeup, or perhaps for a later experiment.

Circuit diagrams should have component values (e.g. 100Ω), reference designations for each component (e.g. R2), part numbers for diodes and active devices (e.g. MC14007). Voltage and current signals should be clearly labeled with polarity indicated (-/+ for voltages, → for positive current).

Be sure to distinguish among directly measured values, indirectly measured values based on calculations made from measurements, and expected values from theoretical calculations (e.g. from the prelab). Important results can be indicated with a box or underline. Describe any specifications of equipment or components that affect the accuracy of an experiment. For example, if the input impedance of the DVM or oscilloscope significantly loads the circuit being measured, the effect should be noted. Record the bench number at which you do the experiment - that way if something was wrong at the setup (e.g. a malfunctioning power supply) we'll be able to check.

Use lots of graphs and tables to organize and present information about experimental measurements and results. Even if you can't do a precise plot of results, it's very important to do a rough plot as you go along, as a sanity check of your results to make sure you're not making any huge mistakes in the lab. Make sure the axes are labeled with the signal or variable being measured, a numerical scale, and units (e.g., volts, seconds, etc.).

LAB WRITEUP

In general, the content of the lab writeup should follow the organization of topics in the lab handout. For format issues, as well as the expectations of quality against which your report will be graded, see the Sample Lab Writuep.