Integrating control and electronics

Previously the author described how control engineering can be introduced using little mathematics in a first year course, the aim being to make the subject accessible across different degrees. One reaction to this was that it was a good idea, but there was not space to include it in the curriculum where, typically control engineering is not introduced until the second year. This paper describes how the author has used a review of the first year teaching to develop a module in which feedback, control and electronics are integrated coherently. This is beneficial as concepts in control and electronics mutually reinforce each other. This has been achieved during a reduction in the available time for teaching the material. This paper describes the strategy used to successfully develop the module, the integrated module and positive student reaction.

Television broadcast reception

The sections in this article are: Vestigial Sideband Modulation, Spectrum Allocation, VHF Versus UHF Propagation, Receivers, Interference, Multipath Equalization, and Digital Receivers

Three-phase machines and drives - equipment for a laboratory-based course

The hazards associated with high-voltage three-phase inverters and high-powered large electrical machines have resulted in most of the engineering courses covering three-phase machines and drives theoretically. This paper describes a set of purpose-built, low-voltage, and low-cost teaching equipment that allows the hands-on instruction of three-phase inverters and rotating machines. The motivation for moving towards a system running at low voltages is that the students can safely experiment freely with the motors and inverter. The students can also access all of the current and voltage waveforms, which until now could only be studied in textbooks or observed as part of laboratory demonstrations. Both the motor and the inverter designs are for teaching purposes and require minimal effort and cost

A study into the impact of introducing Year 5 students to university and electronic engineering

This paper demonstrates the benefits of introducing Year 5 school students to university life, encountering styles of teaching to which they would be otherwise unaccustomed; and the results of a survey conducted both before and after the study visit to determine whether the visit was beneficial to the students in academic terms.