CourseSyllabus

ECE 460L - Introduction to Communications Systems Laboratory

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering

1. Course Number and Name:ECE 460L - Introduction to Communications Systems Laboratory

2. Credit Units/Contact Hours:1/3

3. Course Coordinator:Nagwa Bekir

4. Text, References & Software

Recommended Text:

ECE 460 Laboratory Manual (available from Quick Copies).

Additional References:

Spectrum Analyzer Manual (available from Quick Copies).

Software:

P-Spice and Analog Workbench (available in the Senior Design Lab)

5. Specific Course Information

a. Course Description

This is a laboratory course which reinforces the theory taught in the ECE 460 course on Analog Communications. The course begins with an introduction to the Spectrum Analyzer and elementary signal analysis. Subsequent topics include filter design, AM modulators/demodulators, FM signal analysis and FM receiver design.

b. Prerequisite by Topic

ECE 460 (Analog Communication Systems) is a co-requisite for this course. Students must have completed the pre-requisite course for ECE 460 (viz., ECE 350 or Linear Systems I) with a grade of “C” or better. In particular, students should be able to find the Fourier Series and/or Fourier Transform for a given function.

Note that ECE 240 is an implicit pre-requisite for this course since it is a pre-requisite for ECE 350 (Linear Systems I). Therefore students are expected to have the elementary lab skills required to operate function generators, multimeters and oscilloscopes.

c. Elective Course

6. Specific Goals for the Course

a. Specific Outcomes of Instructions – After completing this course the students should be able to:

Since the purpose of this lab is to reinforce the concepts covered in ECE 460, the major objectives are those listed in the ECE 460 Course Guide. In addition, students who have completed this lab should be able to:

  1. Design AM and FM receivers using elementary circuit components such as resistors, diodes, capacitors and inductors;
  2. Verify their designs using Analog Workbench, P-Spice, oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers.

b. Relationship to Student Outcomes

This supports the achievement of the following student outcomes:

a. An ability to apply knowledge of math, science, and engineering to the analysis of electrical engineering problems.

b. An ability to design and conduct scientific and engineering experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data.

c. An ability to design systems which include hardware and/or software components within realistic constraints such as cost, manufacturability, safety and environmental concerns.

e. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve electrical problems.

g. An ability to communicate effectively through written reports and oral presentations.

k. An ability to use modern engineering techniques for analysis and design.

n. Knowledge of math including differential equations, linear algebra, complex variables and discrete math.

7. Topics Covered/Course Outline

  1. Introduction to the Spectrum Analyzer
  2. Experiment 1: Design of Butterworth Filters.
  3. Experiment 2: Spectrum of AM Signals.
  4. Experiment 3: The Envelope Detector.
  5. Experiment 4: Switching Modulators.
  6. Experiment 5: The MC 1496 Balanced Modulator-Demodulator.
  7. Experiment 6: A Simple Scrambler Circuit (Part I).
  8. Experiment 7: A Simple Scrambler Circuit (Part II).
  9. Experiment 8: Spectrum of a FM Signal.
  10. Experiment 9: Design of a FM Demodulator.

Prepared by:

Nagwa Bekir, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, November 2011

Ali Amini, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, March 2013