An Electronic Systems Laboratory

This paper describes an undergraduate electronic systems laboratory which has been developed during the past year within the School of Electrical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The objective of this laboratory is to provide the student with the opportunity to demonstrate tangibly in the laboratory the operation and interaction of discrete devices, integrated circuits, and electronic systems which he has studied or will study in the classroom. In this laboratory students perform experimentation on (a) the characteristics and applications of two basic linear ICs, the operational amplifier and anlog multiplier; (b) the operation of a successive-approximation type A/D converter and of a D/A converter; and (c) the synergistic operation of a A/D converter, D/A converter, and an operational amplifier along with other devices and subsystems to achieve a total system function. Relatively inexpensive test equipment is used which has proven quite reliable and easy to operate. Special purpose electronic system program (ESP) boards were specifically designed, constructed, and utilized to accomodate the approximately 200 students who yearly enroll in this laboratory. This paper describes the philosophy behind this electronic systems laboratory, discusses the test equipment and ESP boards utilized, and details the specific experiments performed.