Click on images to enlarge.

This partial RF front-end contains a 4.00 MHz Colpitts oscillator, differential mixer, and active low pass filter. The RF input was simulated by direct connection to a signal generator. The low-frequency peaks in the purple frequency-domain plots correspond to different input frequencies, showing the operational performance of the oscillator and mixer.

A continuation of electronic laboratory techniques and principles of project engineering covered in ECE291, incorporating material covered in the electronics sequence (ECE240, 241, 342), with topics from ECE211 (such as frequency response) as needed. The semester focuses on the design, testing and performance analysis of a complete system. Using off-chip resistors, capacitors, diodes and transistors (BJT or MOSFET as warranted by the design), student teams develop sub-blocks such as amplifiers. Circuit simulation using CAD tools accompany the physical realizations. Students give several formal and informal presentations that include performance analysis and assessment of the design and testing experience.