Purpose of the Instructional Laboratory: Electronics Edition


The electronics instructional laboratory offers an opportunity for students to gain hands-on experience with practical aspects of doing experimental physics. In particular, the electronics course is critical for learning the process of converting physical variables into measurable and useful electronic signals, and for turning electronic signals into desired physical behaviors. 

Lab Schedule


Assignments are due 48 hours after the end of lab

Quick oscilloscope demo

Course Resources


General Course Information

Other Resources


Learning:

Youtube:

Fun:

  • Device Orchestra Making music with motorized household objects
  • Simone Giertz Previously the self-proclaimed queen of sh*tty robots, now does more meaningful projects
  • Chip Art Album Collection of photos from art that engineers snuck into the designs of their chips.
  • https://nandgame.com/ Has you build up the circuity to make a digital computer from the ground up. You start with logic gates and end with a processor that can be programmed

Software:

  • Falstad Circuit Simulator: Online circuit simulator with good visual interface.
  • Micro-cap Circuit Simulator: Free professional grade circuit simulation software for Windows.  
  • Autodesk Eagle: Professional Printed Circuit Board(PCB) design software, free if you create a student account.
  • Diagrams.net: Free flowchart making tool, includes circuit elements if you use the “More Shapes” button in the bottom left and add “Electrical” from the Other category.

Parts

  • Sparkfun and Adafruit: Hobbyist suppliers, in addition to useful tutorials.
  • Digikey: Daunting to learn, but massive component database.  More focused on industrial-scale applications. Also offers Printed Circuit Board(PCB) manufacturing now.
  • Mouser: Similar to Digikey, the other industry standard website.
  • DFRobot: Hobbyist site focusing on robots, sensors, and motors.
  • Banggood: Larger focus on modules than individual parts, also offers many options for working with robotics/drones.  Generally more affordable, but may have longer shipping times
  • Tayda Electronics: Hobbyist focus, less selection but more reasonable prices on small orders than other sites.  Affordable with generally quick shipping.
  • OSHPark: Service for fabricating PCBs from files, costs ~ 1.70 per square inch. Done in the USA, so may be both faster and more expensive than some services.
  • Aisler: Another service for fabricating PBCs, housed in Germany.
  • Seeed Studio: Parts supplier, also fabricates PCBs
  • Elecrow: Sell parts, fabricate PCBs, and partner with folks to sell useful modules. Look promising but I haven't worked with them personally.
  • Stepper Online: Specialty store for stepper motors and drivers, but a great place to go if you need to move something.
  • The Electronic Gold Mine: Designs are a bit retro, but they have many decent kits for small projects.
  • Digilent: Focus on test & measurement equipment. Their Analog Discovery unit isn't exactly cheap, but it is a scope, power supply, and function generator all in one. Make sure to get the Academic pricing.
  • Cheap FPGA Development Boards blog post: Not a vendor, but rather a listing of many devices with links to vendors. Last updated 2023.

Kits:

  • Mad Lab: Misc kits, might be a good intro to soldering.  Jameco is American vendor.
  • Boldport Club: Cool and strange physical implementations of circuits.

Feedback


The instructional laboratory staff is always interested in feedback. Let us know if you find typos or mistakes, or let us know if you have comments about what you like or don't like about the lab experience.

Please use our Online Feedback Form to leave anonymous (or non-anonymous) comments.