Analogue Circuits

Course Coordinator: Dr. Vincent Kwan, BEng (Hons) (HKUST), MPhil, PhD (CUHK)

Course Developer: The Open University of the United Kingdom (OUUK)

This course is one of the compulsory courses for students seeking an Electronics degree. This course is recommended for students with an interest in the middle level of electronics and related disciplines. ELEC S225 is presented yearly in September.

Students who have already taken ELEC S202 are not allowed to take ELEC S225.

Advisory prerequisite(s) / co-requisite(s)
You are advised to have already studied foundation courses in mathematics or physics. The course ELEC S222 is recommended as a co-requisite. Middle-level courses like MATH S221 and PHYS S271 are also helpful for studying this course.

Aims
This course aims to:

• Provide students with a basic understanding of electronics principles, components, circuits and systems;
• Provide students with the fundamental theoretical and practical skills required to carry out engineering analysis;
• Provide students with essential background knowledge for higher-level courses in electronics and related disciplines;
• Provide students with the ability to solve new problems in the field of electronics.

Contents
The course covers the following topics:

• Analogue principles — phasor analysis, frequency response of linear circuits, amplifiers and feedback
• Transistors and basic circuits — p-n junctions and transistors, analogue transistor circuits
• Audio amplifier design — properties of audio-frequency signal and noise, properties of hi-fi amplifiers, specification and system design, pre-amplifier design, main amplifier design
• Power supplies
• Higher-frequency circuits — the hybrid-π equivalent circuit, interconnections
• Radio frequency techniques — modulation, demodulation, propagation and aerial systems, radio receivers

Learning support
There will be regular two-hour tutorials, short laboratory sessions, day schools and surgeries spread throughout the course. Students are expected to attend the short lab sessions; you will find it difficult to obtain high marks on the assignments without attending the lab sessions.

Assessment
There will be four assignments. Students are required to attend two day schools held on Sunday; you cannot pass the course without attending these. At the end of the course, there will be a three-hour final examination. Students are required to submit assignments via the Online Learning Environment (OLE).

Online requirement
This course is supported by the Online Learning Environment (OLE). You can find the latest course information from the OLE. Through the OLE, you can communicate electronically with your tutor and the Course Coordinator as well as other students. To access the OLE, students will need to have access to the Internet. The use of the OLE is mandatory for the study of this course.

Equipment
A computer system suitable for running the ELEC S225 software package is essential. The minimum configuration of the computer system is:

• Pentium IV CPU
• SVGA display card and colour monitor
• 4 GB RAM
• 20 GB free hard disk space
• Mouse

Software
You should have Windows 7 or newer running on your computer and English Windows is preferred.

Set book(s)
There are no set books for this course.

Students with disabilities or special educational needs
The visual components of this course may cause difficulties for students with vision impairments. You are encouraged to seek advice from the Course Coordinator before enrolling on the course.