Second Year A' level Electronics Plan

 

Lesson Syllabus Practical Homework Book
1 General communications system. Frequency Division Multiplexing. The inductor. Resonance in an LC tuned circuit 13.1a, 13.1b, 13.1e, 13.1f(fdm),  13.2div Finding the resonant frequency of an LC tuned circuit with sig gen & CRO Calculations on LC tuned circuits Comm: 6, 7, 13, 26
2 Resonance in LC tuned circuit at XL=XC. Calculating L or C for tuned circuit for a particular f0. Frequency response of LC tuned circuit - Q. The form of an AM signal carrier freq., modulation frq., depth of modulation, over modulation. 13.2di, 13.2dii, 13.2diii, 13.2dvi, 13.2ai, 13.2aii, 13.2aiii Plotting frq response of LC tuned circuit. Calculating Q. Extension: What determines Q? Plotting frq response of LC tuned circuit applet.

Drawing am signals. Determining frequencies and modulation depth from graphs of am signals

Comm: 26, 27, 17, 18
3 Impedance matching. The simple am radio. Calculating component values in an am radio. 13.2ci, 13.2ciii Building a crystal set Extension: Adding an af amplifier. Designing radio with component values for HF Comm: 22, 23
4 Spectrum of am signal. Bandwidth. Frequencies of am broadcast bands. Bandwidth and channel capacity. 13.2aiv, 13.2av, 13.2bi, 13.2bii, 13.2biv, 13.1d Demo of am wave and spectrum using picoscope. Drawing am spectra from values or graph of time domain signal Comm: 19-22 (excluding fm)
5 Spectrum of am signal. Bandwidth. Frequencies of am broadcast bands. Bandwidth and channel capacity. 13.2aiv, 13.2av, 13.2bi, 13.2bii, 13.2biv, 13.1d  

Using an applet to look at am spectra

Making a radio on a pcb

Drawing am spectra from values or graph of time domain signal

Comm: 19-22 (excluding fm)
6 Selectivity and sensitivity, Increasing Q to improve sensitivity and problems. Using rf amp to improve sensitivity. The am transmitter. 13.2v, 13.2dvii Building a simple am transmitter   Comm: 16, 26
7 The superhet. Revision of signal spectra. Drawing a spectrum from information about signals into a mixer. Advantages of superhet over TRF. 13.2e, 13.2biii Using a mixer to change voice Questions on superhet block diagram and calculations of input and output frequencies of mixer. Drawing spectrum from mixer. Comm: 27-30
8 The form of the fm radio signal. Spectrum and bandwidth of fm. Advantages of fm over am. Stereo, traffic announcements and RDS. Slope detector. 13.2avi, 13.2avii, 13.2aviii Demo of fm wave and spectrum using picoscope. Compare with am. Calculations on fm spectrum. Questions on noise in am & fm Comm: 20 - 22
9 Aerials. Noise, distortion and cross talk. SNR and dB scale. 13.2.cii, 13.1g, 13.1h Making a tv aerial Designing aerials Comm: 24, 25, 14, 15
10 Test on analogue radio. TDM     Calculations on number of stations on TDM channel 1Comm: 3, 14
11 Multiplexing. Demultiplexing. Designing a multiplexer and demultiplexer (revision of Boolean logic and TTs). TDM 13.4e, 13.1f Using a multiplexer and demultiplexer for TDM Designing a large multiplexer Comm: 47-57
  Half-term
 
12 Theory of mobile phones including revision of TDM & FDM. Cellular structure. 13.3 Use web to map local cell structure. Read up mobile phone theory and prepare questions for visit. Comm: 31-38
13 Visiting an O2 mobile phone base station. Talk from engineer. 13.3 Visit. Write up visit using images for display Comm: 31-38
14 PWM 13.4bii Building a dimmer switch. Extension: temp dependent speed control for motor. Drawing PWM waveforms for given analogue signal Comm: 41
15 Digital communications. Digital vs analogue communications. PAM and Nyquist's theory. 13.4bi, 13.4bv Using a sample and hold chip to investigate Nyquist's theory Calculations using Nyquist Comm: 39-40
16 PCM. 8-bit DAC. 13.4biv, 12.5d Build 4-bit DAC and attach 4-bit counter to observe digital ramp. Extension: change ramp direction, step size and build astable Calculations on DAC. PCM problems Comm: 39-41

Control: 48

17 ADC via DAC, Flash ADC. Flash vs digital ramp ADC 12.5f, 12.5e, 12.5h Use last lessons DAC to build an ADC. Extension: Make a voltmeter   Control: 49 - 52
18 ADC via DAC, Flash ADC. Flash vs digital ramp ADC 12.5f, 12.5e, 12.5h Use last lessons DAC to build an ADC. Extension: Make a voltmeter    
19 Serial data transmission. Start and stop bits. 13.4c, 13.4d Magnetic card reading. Output from COM port. Smart card. Keyboard and mouse.  Drawing serial data waveforms. Comm: 42-47
20 Revision of shift register. Bit rate and baud rate. PPM and IR remote control. 13.4biii Using a serial to parallel shift register to light a series of LEDS. Extension make a continuous sequence Calculations on bit and baud rate.    
21  Test on digital communications.    Look at output of IR remote control on storage scope    
22  Feedback systems (e.g. heating control). Open loop vs closed loop. Problem of jitter. Non-inverting Schmitt trigger. 12.6  Build a non-inverting Schmitt trigger  Calculate trigger thresholds of Schmitt triggers  Control: 55 - 59 
23  Inverting Schmitt trigger. Non symmetric thresholds. 12.6  Build relaxation oscillator  Design Schmitt trigger with given thresholds  
24  Introduction to QBASIC 12.3 Write program to calculate resistor value for LED and frequency of 555 astable Write program to display times tables  Control: 21 - 31
25  Introduction to QBASIC 12.3  Write program to calculate resistor value for LED and frequency of 555 astable Write program to display times tables  
  Xmas
 
 
 
26 Polling with INKEY$ using Do-Loop_Until. The Centronics port. Polling vs interrupts. Outputting from the printer port. Wasting time. Subroutines. Computer architecture.  12.2, 12.3, 12.5c Write a program to move a "*" backwards and forwards across the screen. Designing a set of traffic lights.   Control: 31-34, 42-45
27 Polling with INKEY$ using Do-Loop_Until. The Centronics port. Polling vs interrupts. Outputting from the printer port. Wasting time. Subroutines. Computer architecture.  12.2, 12.3, 12.5c Write a program to move a "*" backwards and forwards across the screen. Designing a set of traffic lights.   Control: 31-34, 42-45
28 Inputting and masking. Using arrays and declaring variable types. Introduction to the microcontroller - Harvard Architecture. Using the microcontroller.  12.2, 12.3 Write a program for a pelican crossing on the printer port. Write a program to make a set of running lights with speed controlled by switches on the microcontroller. Extension: Programming in C   Control: 31-34, 42-45 
29 Hexadecimal test. Using a seven segment display with a microcontroller.  12.7  Use a microcontroller and 7-seg display on a breadboard to build a stopwatch. Using a microcontroller on a breadboard.   Control: 67-68
30  Photo-diode/opto switch. Shaft encoder  12.7 Build a two bit shaft decoder   Control: 60-63
31  Photo-diode/opto switch. Shaft encoder  12.7 Build a two bit shaft decoder   Control: 60-63
32  Tri-state and data latches.  12.5ab Attaching two inputs to a microcontroller. Using a 75xx175 latch to hold a number on a display.   Control: 41-42 
33  Projects        
34  Projects        
  Half-term
 
35  Projects        
36  Projects        
37  Projects        
38  Projects        
39  Projects        
40  Projects        
41  Projects        
42  Projects        
43  Projects      
44  Projects     Write up project. You can use this writing framework.  
  Easter
 
 
 
45 Stepper motor control 12.7 Control a floppy disc stepper motor and make a second hand on a clock Stepper motor questions Control: 63-67
46 Interrupts and polling. Memory mapped I/O. Tristates 12.3 Demonstrate projects    
47 Neural networks 12.4  Computer exercise

Neural network Java Applet

Recognising leaves using an ANN

  Control: 35-40
48 Practise Exam
49 Dot matrix display bs 12.7 Displaying letters on dot matrix display. Drawing on the CRO screen with a microcontroller. Control: 68-73
50 No lesson        
51 Attaching an ADC to a microcontroller 12.5g Reading temperature from a parallel port.    
52 Revision        
53 Revision        
54 Revision        
55 Revision        
56 Revision        
57 Revision        
58 Revision        
59 Revision        
60 Revision        
  Half-term
 
61 Feedback from test (Group 2 feedback in workshop)   Making a radio on a pcb