Revised 1-20-10

Syllabus
OEES 135 Electronics II / OEET 210 Intermediate Electricity
(OEES stands for Occupational Education, Electronic Service. OEET stands for Occupational Education, Electrical Trades.)
NMSU Grants Campus
Electronics/electrical department Web site: mounttaylor.com

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Links to frequently-used sections of this syllabus. (Click on them.)
General course content Textbook and materials Classroom conduct policy Phone numbers, etc. Office hours
Attendance policy Grading Weekly topics    
 
Master Syllabus (Information pertaining to the course regardless of which semester it is being taught, or which instructor teaches it.)
OEES 135 Course Description: Analysis of AC circuits, filters, and resonance. Introduction to solid state fundamentals including diodes and rectifier circuits, voltage regulators, various transistors and transistor characteristics, amplification and amplifiers, photoelectric effects, gates and timing circuits.
OEES 135 Credit Hours: 4
OEES 135 Contact Hours: 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of lab per week. (3+3P)
OEES 135 Prerequisites: OEES 110 (DC) and OEES 120 (math).

OEET 210 Course Description: Introduction to inductance, capacitance, reactances, and power factor correction.
OEET 210 Credit Hours: 5
OEET 210 Contact Hours: 3 hours of lecture and 4 hours of lab per week. (3+4P)
OEET 210 Prerequisites: OEES 110 (DC).

How These Two Classes Are Taught: While the OEES 135 and OEET 210 course descriptions appear quite different, the two courses have considerable overlap. The OEES 135 description contains the phrase “Analysis of AC circuits, filters, and resonance.” This phrase is essentially equivalent to the phrase “Introduction to inductance, capacitance, reactances, and power factor correction” that appears in the OEET 210 description. Thus, the main difference between the two courses is that 135 has the additional topics of  solid state fundamentals, voltage regulators, transistors, amplifiers, photoelectric effects, gates, and timing circuits. Today, electricians need to know about these additional topics. The high-tech industrial electrical installations of today have switched to control systems that involve these areas.

At the Grants campus, students taking these two courses spend most of their time in the same room, with the same instructor, and with the same topics being taught. At several times during the semester, electrical (OEET 210) students do lab work geared toward their needs, while electronics (OEET 135) students receive additional instruction about areas important in their field. At other times, the roles are reversed, with electronics students doing lab work while electrical students receive addition instruction in areas important to them.

Because OEET 210 has an additional hour of lab time, students signed up for this course will meet for an additional hour each week.

Learning Outcomes Common to Both OEES 135 AND OEET 210
After completing this course, you should be able to successfully do the following:
  • Answer intermediate-level questions about the results of applying various waveforms to inductors, capacitors, and RLC circuits.
  • Given waveform drawings, calculate periods and frequencies.
  • Calculate voltages and currents for circuits resulting in 90- and 180-degree phase relationships.
  • Convert between RMS, peak, and peak-to-peak quantities.
  • Make AC measurements with meters.
  • Make basic AC measurements with an oscilloscope.
  • Use all the features of a typical function generator.
  • Calculate voltages, currents, power, and VARs for transformers.
  • Calculate voltages and currents for transformers in these configurations: series, parallel, autotransformer, buck, boost, delta, and wye
  • Answer basic questions about using capacitors to correct for inductive power-factor problems.
  • For resonant circuits, calculate resonant frequency, voltages, and currents.
  • Make basic 3-phase-AC calculations.
  • Answer basic questions about power supplies using transformers, diodes, voltage regulators, capacitors, and inductors.
  • Answer basic questions about solid-state circuits, including circuits with transistors, amplifiers, photo-electric devices, gates, and timing circuits.
Additional Learning Outcomes for OEES 135 Students
After completing this course, you should be able to successfully do the following:
  • Calculate voltages and currents for basic circuits containing phase relationships other than 90 and 180 degrees.
  • Make advanced AC measurements with an oscilloscope.
  • Make intermediate-level 3-phase-AC calculations.
  • Design and troubleshoot basic power supplies using transformers, diodes, voltage regulators, capacitors, and inductors.
  • Design and troubleshoot basic solid-state circuits, including circuits with transistors, amplifiers, photo-electric devices, gates, and timing circuits.

Additional Learning Outcomes for OEET 210 Students
After completing this course, you should be able to successfully do the following:
  • Demonstrate in the lab proficiency at using clamp-type ammeters to measure large AC currents.
  • Demonstrate on paper a good understanding of the wiring involved in 3-phase-AC circuits.
  • Answer intermediate-level questions about using capacitors to correct for inductive power-factor problems in industry.
  • In the lab, and on paper, demonstrate proficiency in safely connecting transformers in these configurations to achieve desired voltages and currents: series, parallel, autotransformer, buck, boost, delta, and wye.

Course Overview/Content and Scope
  • Basic characteristics of inductors and capacitors
  • Effects of various waveforms on inductors and capacitors.
  • Calculation of voltage, current, reactance, impedance, power, and VARs for circuits containing inductors, capacitors, and resistors.
  • Conversion between RMS, peak, and peak-to-peak quantities
  • AC meters
  • Function generators
  • Oscilloscopes
  • Transformers: voltage, current, power, and VARs
  • Transformers: series, parallel, autotransformer, buck, boost, delta, and wye connections.
  • Power factor and power factor correction
  • Resonant circuits
  • Basics of three-phase AC, including delta and wye transformer connections.
  • Transistors
  • Power supplies
  • Amplifiers
  • Photo-electric devices
  • Logic gates
  • Timing circuits
Performance Assessment – Grading and Evaluation
The following methods will be used to measure your performance and determine your grade for the course:
  • Points earned for homework, class exercises, lab work, attendance, etc.
  • Quizzes.
  • Final exam.
  • Instructor’s observation of your abilities during class and during lab time.
Textbook and Materials
  • Book: Introduction to Electronics, by Earl Gates, ISBN-13: 978-1-4018-8900-5
  • Calculator. You'll need a scientific calculator (one with sin, cos, tan buttons). If you will be buying a calculator, here are some recommendations:
    • We recommend getting a calculator with a large display that allows you to enter equations the same way you’d write them.
      • If this type of calculator is too expensive for your budget, a single-line scientific calculator would also be good.
    • We’ll be furnishing you with a list of recommended calculators.
    • Phone calculators are inadequate.
  • Pencil and large eraser.
    • We’ll be drawing a lot of diagrams, and you’ll be erasing a lot. We recommend a mechanical pencil and an eraser pencil (an eraser that clips onto your pocket and lets you bring out more eraser material as needed).
  • Flash drive (sometimes called “jump drive”).
    • For saving computer circuit simulations we’ll be doing on the computer.
    • Even the smallest flash drive is more than enough for this class.
    • Floppy disks are too small, too slow, and too unreliable.
  • Optional (but highly recommended): 3-ring binder with dividers.
    • There will be a lot of handout sheets for this class, and you’ll need some way of keeping them in order. 
    • You might as well get a zip pouch to put into the binder. You can keep your calculator and other things in the pouch.
Special Fees: $25 lab fee

Web sites
Philosophy of Teaching for This Department
We believe an instructor’s job is to help everyone succeed. You’ll get lots of one-on-one help from us. Also, we’ll do our best to make the course exciting. And, we encourage students to help each other (but, of course, not by doing work for other students!). If you find yourself getting overwhelmed, and are tempted to be absent a lot, talk to us! Or, if you think you understand the material so well that you can miss a lot of class, talk to us! If you’re bored, we can give you some interesting extra credit projects to work on. Electronics books are usually written with a one-size-fits-all approach, and they are often overly theoretical. Material we present during class will help overcome these deficiencies.

Classroom Conduct Policy
In this department, we like to run our classes in an informal manner. However, sometimes there are students who interfere with the learning of others. Thus, we have the following rules:
  • Electronic devices: Use of cell phones, mp3 players, etc., is prohibited during lecture time.
    • If you must be available for your children, etc., you may set your cell phone to vibrate-only mode during lecture time. If you have forgotten to set your phone to vibrate-only, and your phone rings during lecture time, please exit the room immediately and answer the phone once you are outside.
    • Tell those who might call you to avoid times you’re in class. (You’ll have an easier time learning if you’re not interrupted.)
  • Texting is only allowed during officially declared break times.
    • This is also true for other uses of your phone, PDA, etc.
  • Computer use: We’re supposed to be teaching good work habits, and we’ll expect you to conduct yourself as if you were at a workplace. The following are a few of the things you shouldn’t do during our classes or when at a job:
    • View pornographic or hate Web sites.
    • Play computer games, except during breaks.
    • Listen to music out loud. (The instructor will indicate whether or not it’s OK to listen with earphones.)
  • You’re expected to contribute to a positive learning environment. Conduct that is detrimental to this end can lead to your dismissal. Examples of such conduct are rudeness, disruptive behavior, poor hygiene &/or distractive clothing. In extreme cases, we may ask you to leave.
Academic Misconduct
Any student found guilty of academic misconduct shall be subject to disciplinary action. Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following actions: CHEATING; PLAGIARISM; UNAUTHORIZED POSSESSION OF EXAMINATIONS, RESERVE LIBRARY MATERIALS OR LABORATORY MATERIALS; UNAUTHORIZED CHANGING OF GRADES ON AN EXAMINATION, INSTRUCTOR’S GRADE BOOK OR GRADE REPORT; NONDISCLOSURE OR MISREPRESENTATION IN FILLING OUT APPLICATIONS OR OTHER COLLEGE RECORDS. The following disciplinary actions and sanctions may be imposed for any of the above infractions or regulations: disciplinary probation, disciplinary suspension, dismissal, expulsion.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
If you have, or think you may have, a disability that interferes with your performance as a student in this class, you are encouraged for academic reasons to discuss this on a confidential basis with your instructor, and/or The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator in the Main Office, or at 287-7981. If you have a condition which may affect your ability to exit from the premises in case of an emergency, you are urged, for safety reasons, to notify the ADA coordinator.

Last reviewed by Bruce McDowell on 1-20-10
 
Operational Syllabus (Information pertaining to the course as it is being taught this semester and by this instructor)
Spring 2010
Instructor: Bruce McDowell

Recommended Preparation
In addition to having taken OEES 110 or OEET 110, you will have an easier time in this course if you have basic skills at using a computer; we’ll be simulating many circuits on the computer. We’ll be glad to help you if your present computer skills are limited.

Contact Information
Office phone: 287-6636; Bruce’s home phone: 285-4600; Bruce’s e-mail: bruce@mounttaylor.com; Mark’s e-mail: meversol@nmsu.edu .

Office Hours
Bruce: Mon. Wed. 11 am to 12 pm; Tue. Thur. 2 to 3 pm; or by appointment.

Class Meetings
OEES 135: Mondays and Wednesdays, 2 to 4:30 pm
OEET 210: Mondays and Wednesdays, 2 to 4:55 pm

Attendance Policy
Electronics/electrical classes are not like some other classes where you can simply read the book and catch up. Much of the learning in our class will be of a hands-on nature, with class exercises and interaction with the instructor being an important part. Being absent or arriving late will make grasping the concepts of this class difficult for you.

During most lecture periods, there will be at least one class exercise, for which you will get points. Because of the interactive nature of class exercises, they may not be made up if you are absent. (If there is a handout for a class exercise you missed, you are welcome to get a copy of the handout. However, completing the work on the handout will not earn you any points.)

For each hour of class you will receive 5 points for being there to participate. These points reflect the fact that you were present and learning something. No matter how good your reasons are for being absent, you still won’t get attendance points for class periods you miss. If you are sick or have some other legitimate reason for missing class, you can compensate by coming in during office hours to earn attendance points. Except for special circumstances, you must come in within seven days from the time you were absent in order to make up points. (Special circumstances will need to be verified by a doctor’s note, etc.)


Grade for the Course  

Points grade (Homework, class exercises, lab work, attendance, etc.)  70%
Quizzes 10%
Instructor’s evaluation (A subjective assessment taking into account observations of your knowledge in the classroom and the lab, attendance, giving help to other students, getting help from other students, and classroom behavior. Will normally be used only to raise your grade if warranted. It can have a negative effect on your grade if your attendance or behavior has been a problem.)  10%
Final Exam 10%
Total 100%


Grading Scale for the Course
95 - 100%    A
90 - 94%    B
70 - 89%    C
60 - 69%    D
0 - 59%    F

Why This Grading Scale?

We believe that the basics are highly important, and we stress them a lot in quizzes and assignments. Our quizzes and assignments are easier than they would be with the more common 90%=A, 80%=B, etc. grading scale. Because of this, the 90%=A scale would result in too many A’s and B’s. The good news is that with this grading scale, you’d have to be a total goof-off to get lower than a C in the class! We feel that anyone who has mastered the basics deserves at least a C.

Homework, Class Exercises, and Lab Work, and Other Ways of Earning Points
The main part of your Points Grade is determined by homework, class exercises, and lab work. The following are some rules regarding these types of work:
  • For the first day a homework or lab assignment is late, you will lose 10%. After that you will lose 10% for each week the assignment is late.
  • Class exercises cannot be made up. You can compensate for a missed class exercise by spending additional time doing lab projects (so that you'll get more finished).
We realize most of our students do not need encouragement to have good study habits. However, there are often some who do need such encouragement and we want to see them do well. Thus, occasionally, there will be surprise “ready for class” checks. When these checks are made you’ll get the maximum number of points if you have the following: Calculator, pencil, eraser, paper, and handout sheets kept in such a way that you can quickly find any one of them that’s needed.

At the end of the semester, we will tally points for everything to get a total for each student. We will then make a grading curve for the class (i.e., so many points = A, so many = B, etc.)

Quizzes
  • Most or all of the quizzes will be surprise quizzes. We give surprise quizzes in order to gauge what’s actually in your head to stay (as opposed to what was crammed in there the night before!). These surprise quizzes will be easier than if they were announced quizzes. Also, about 70% of the problems will be based on the fundamentals for this course—in other words, you should be able to earn at least a C if you understand the fundamentals.
  • Instead of makeup quizzes, we will use your final exam grade for any quizzes you’ve missed.
Weekly Topics
The following list is only an approximation. Even though classes are composed of several individuals, each class has its own “personality.” Different classes require different amounts of time on each concept. Concept A may be difficult for class #1 and easy for class #2. Similarly, Concept B may be easy for class #1 and difficult for class #2. Thus, the topics actually covered during any particular week will differ from those shown below. Assignments will be listed on the class’s Web site (go to mounttaylor.com and click the link for this class). This Web site assignment list will contain due dates, and assignments will be added to it as the course progresses.
Week Topics Week Topics
1 Basic characteristics of capacitors
Switched DC applied to RC circuits (waveforms, voltages, and currents)		 9 Power in AC circuits (including VARs)
Power factor
Power factor correction
3-phase basics
2 Sine waves applied to RC circuits
Review of Pythagorean theorem
The oscilloscope--basics
RMS vs. peak quantities
Function generator basics
Voltages and currents in series RC circuits (sine waves)		 10 Diodes
Power supply calculations
Filter capacitors and inductors
Transistors, basics
3-phase wiring [electrical students]
Intermediate-level 3-phase calculations [electronics students]
3 Voltages and currents in series RC circuits (sine waves)—continued.
Voltages and currents in parallel RC circuits (sine waves)		 11 Resonance
3-phase wiring--continued [electrical students]
Transistors, intermediate level [electronics students]
4 The oscilloscope: measuring period and phase angle. Calculating frequency.
Function generator, use of all features.
Basic characteristics of inductors
Inductive kick		 12 Introduction to voltage regulators, LEDs, phototransistors, amplifiers, logic gates, and timer chips.
Delta and wye transformer connections (3-phase)
Clamp-type ammeters [electrical students]
5 Switched DC applied to LR circuits (waveforms, voltages, and currents)
Sine waves applied to LR circuits.
Voltages and currents in series RL circuits (sine waves)		 13 Safely connecting transformers in delta configuration [electrical students]
Delta and wye calculations [electronics students]
Safely connecting transformers in delta configuration--continued [electrical students]
Phase angle measurement [electrical students]
Voltage regulators, LEDs, and photo transistors—intermediate level [electronics students]
6 Voltages and currents in parallel RL circuits (sine waves) 14 Transformers, delta and wye [electrical students]
Amplifiers and logic gates --intermediate level [electronics students]
7 Voltages and currents in parallel RL circuits--continued
Single transformers
Transformers: series and parallel		 15 Advanced power-factor correction [electrical students]
Timer chips—intermediate level [electronics students]
8 Transformers: autotransformers; boost and buck circuits
Safely connecting transformers in parallel [electrical students]
LC and LR circuits with phase angles other than 90 and 180 degrees [electronics students]		 16 Final exam

Modifications to This Syllabus
This syllabus may be modified as necessary during the semester to meet the needs of the class. Major changes will be discussed and announced a minimum of one week in advance.

Reviewed by Bruce McDowell 1-20-10

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