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Physics 48 - Basic Electronics for Physicists

Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College

Summer 2001 and 2002

Physics 48 is an introduction to electronics for students who have had Physics 14 (or 16); in particular, second-year physics majors who are enrolled in Physics 41 are encouraged to take this course. The course is designed for students who wish to learn about analog and digital electronics.

The course begins with the fundamentals of linear lumped circuits using passive components, including node and loop analysis, Thevenin's theorem, and impulse and frequency response of AC circuits. Diodes, transistors, and operational amplifiers are introduced, and active circuits involving feedback are discussed. The basic components of digital electronics are introduced. Other topics to be addressed include: tranmission lines, noise, stability, and analog-to-digital conversion. A laboratory accompanies the course which allows the student to gain practical experience in building and testing the circuits discussed in lecture. An independent project is required in which the student will become acquainted with computer-aided layout of a printed circuit board and soldering.

Prerequisites: Physics 14 or 16, and Mathematics 23.

• Course Information (2002: info.pdf, 2001: info.pdf)
• Course Syllabus (2002: syllabus.pdf, 2001: syllabus.pdf)
• Course Schedule (2002: sched.pdf, 2001: sched.pdf)
• Laboratories

  Lab 1	lab1.pdf	DC Circuits	Introduction to analysis equipment and linear DC circuits.
  Lab 2	lab2.pdf	Time Constants	Introduction to AC signals and RC/RL time constants.
  Lab 3	lab3.pdf	Tranfer Functions of RC, RL, and RLC Circuits	Introduction to transfer functions (phase and amplitude) and resonance.
  Lab 4	lab4.pdf, trans.pdf	Transformers and Transmission Lines	Introduction to transformers and input/output impedance. Investigation of the effects encountered when the signal wavelength is comparable to the transmission line length.
  Lab 5	lab5.pdf	Diodes	Introduction to various diodes and measurement of their current-voltage characteristics.
  Lab 6	lab6.pdf	Transistors I	Introduction to various BJTs and measurement of their characteristics and their dependence on temperature.
  Lab 7	lab7.pdf	Transistors II	Constructing and amplifier and filter using BJTs and investigation of JFETs.
  Lab 8	lab8.pdf	Op Amps I	Introduction to operational amplifiers, ideal and real, and feedback.
  Lab 9	lab9.pdf	Op Amps II	Constructing differentiators and integrators, and building a multi-pole active filter.
  Lab 10	lab10.pdf	Digital I	Introduction to digital circuits; binary adders and flip-flops; and measurement of gate delays.
  Lab 11	lab11.pdf	Digital II	Constructing a shift register using flip-flops, a divide-by-N counter, use of the 555 timer.

• Homework Sets

  HW 1	hw1.pdf	Simple resistance networks, DC voltage and current sources, equivalent resistances, Thevenin equivalent circuits, Impulse responses in LR and RC circuits.
  HW 2	hw2.pdf	Current-voltage relationships in Ls and Cs, LCR circuits, complex impedance, AC sources, transfer functions, hi-fi speaker.
  HW 3	hw3.pdf	Transformers, diodes, Zener diodes, voltage regulators, charge pumps, Bode plot of Lab #3 LRC circuit.
  HW 4	hw4.pdf	Transistors: DC biasing, AC operation, temperature dependance, AC equivalent circuits, corner frequencies.
  HW 5	hw5.pdf	JFET transistors, OP Amps: ideal, real, adders, active filters, differential amplifiers.
  HW 6	hw6.pdf	Digital: Logic gates, Boolean algebra, RS flip-flops, D flip-flops, Divide-by-N counter.

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Contact Information

• Office: 215b Cummings Hall
• Telephone: (603) 646-0096
• E-mail: simon at thayer.dartmouth.edu