ECE 4810 ELECTRICAL/COMPUTER ENGINEERING DESIGN I

Spring 2012

version 12 April 2012

Important Note:

This document is available at http://homepages.wmich.edu/~miller/ECE4810.html and provides critical resources for this course, including a schedule, homework assignments, handouts, hyperlinked materials, etc. Check the posted version for updates.

 

Instructor:
Dr. Damon A. Miller, Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Western Michigan University, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Parkview Campus, Room A-240, 269.276.3158, 269.276.3151 (fax), damon.miller@wmich.edu, www.homepages.wmich.edu/~miller/.

Course Coordinators:
Dr. John Gesink (john.gesink@wmich.edu) and

Dr. Damon A. Miller (damon.miller@wmich.edu)

 

Course Development and Acknowledgements:
Dr. Gesink developed and collected much of the material used in this course. Dr. Daniel M. Litynski (dan.litynski@wmich.edu) has also contributed course improvements. Your comments are welcome. Some course notes (including figures) may be verbatim from course texts.

 

Office Hours:
Office hours are posted on Dr. Miller’s door and at http://homepages.wmich.edu/~miller/. Please respect course instructor office hours.  Other times are available by appointment.

WMU Catalog Description:
ECE 4810 Electrical/Computer Engineering Design I (1--3), 2 hrs. First of a two-semester sequence on engineering design in which students work in teams on approved design projects. A preliminary design is expected at the conclusion of this course. This course and ECE 4820 are approved as writing-intensive courses which may fulfill the baccalaureate-level writing requirement of the student's curriculum.  Prerequisites:  IME 3160; consent of department chair.

Consent of the department chair is obtained by completion of an application to enroll in ECE 4810 and is based on:

1.      completion of IME 3160/ECE 3550 or ECE 4510 (for CpE students);

2.      completion of ECE 2510/IME 3160/ECE 3200 or ECE 3300 (for EE students); and an

3.      ability to work independently and as part of a design team, accepting responsibility for specific portions of a design project.

 

Project Constraints:

  1. Projects requiring knowledge of subject matter presented in courses not yet successfully completed by at least one project team member will not be approved.
  2. In consideration of federal export control laws, senior design projects will only utilize information that is broadly available to the engineering and scientific community.  No restrictions on dissemination of any project information or results will be accepted.  Project final reports (ECE 4820) will be available to the public and project topic applications and project proposals (ECE 4810) are subject to public release less personal information.  Projects that require or involve non-disclosure agreements, trade secrets, etc. will not be accepted.  Student are cautioned that the export of project material goods are subject to federal export control laws and should be carefully reviewed beforehand.  Federal export laws apply now and after graduation.  This policy was prepared using information provided in Export Control Laws and Senior Design Projects by Vicki Janson, former Research Compliance Coordinator, Office of the Vice President for Research.

 

In short, senior design projects must be entirely “open”.

 

Course Tasks and Description:

Students will be responsible for selecting a design project, forming a three-person design team, and for writing a formal proposal, which describes the project as well as its implementation. The designed device or system will be constructed in ECE 4820 based on this proposal. Lectures and assignments will examine topics relating to engineering design such as needs and specifications, patents, feasibility, engineering design methodology, project scheduling, and human factors engineering. Students will explore topics critical to the practice of engineering, including engineering ethics, intellectual property, and professional registration.  Written communication skills are also emphasized throughout the course.  Each student is urged to keep a permanently bound journal/log/lab notebook in which individual contributions to the design proposal are recorded.  Students are required to attend all seminars as noted in the course schedule, all ECE 4810 class meetings, and are required to register with the WMU Career Services office (See Bronco Jobs at http://www.wmich.edu/career/).

 

Department and Course Level Learning Outcomes:

 

Department Level Learning Outcomes1:

 

Graduates must have:

a.       an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering;

b.      an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data;

c.       an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs2;

d.      an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams;

e.       an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems;

f.       an ability to understand professional and ethical responsibility;

g.      an ability to communicate effectively;

h.      a broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context;

i.        a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, life-long learning;

j.        a knowledge of contemporary issues; and

k.      an ability to use techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice and/or further graduate study.

 

In addition to these learning outcomes ECE 4810/20 is designed to contribute to the professional component3 (PC) of the student's education.

 

 

1The following is adapted (with only slight modification) from the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Engineering Criteria 2000, Criteria for Accrediting Engineering:

 

Criterion 3. Program Outcomes and Assessment Engineering programs must demonstrate that their graduates have: (a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering (b) an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data (c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs (d) an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams (e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems (f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility (g) an ability to communicate effectively (h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context (i) a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning (j) a knowledge of contemporary issues (k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.

 

2Definition directly from the Annual Report of the ABET circa 1992-93:

 

(3) Engineering Design. (a) Engineering design is the process of devising a system, component, or process to meet desired needs.  It is a decision-making process (often iterative), in which the basic sciences, mathematics, and engineering sciences are applied to convert resources optimally to meet a stated objective.  Among the fundamental elements of the design process are the establishment of objectives and criteria, synthesis, analysis, construction, testing, and evaluation.  The engineering design component of a curriculum must include at least some of the following features: development of student creativity, use of open-ended problems, development and use of modern design theory and methodology, formulation of design problem statements and specifications, consideration of alternative solutions, feasibility considerations, production processes, concurrent engineering design, and detailed system descriptions.  Further, it is essential to include a variety of realistic constraints such as economic factors, safety, reliability, aesthetics, ethics, and social impact.

 

3The following is taken from the ABET Engineering Criteria 2000, Criteria for Accrediting Engineering:

 

Criterion 4. Professional Component. The professional component requirements specify subject areas appropriate to engineering but do not prescribe specific courses. The engineering faculty must assure that the program curriculum devotes adequate attention and time to each component, consistent with the objectives of the program and institution. Students must be prepared for engineering practice through the curriculum culminating in a major design experience based on the knowledge and skills acquired in earlier course work and incorporating engineering standards and realistic constraints that include most of the following considerations: economic; environmental; sustainability; manufacturability; ethical; health and safety; social; and political.  The professional component must include (a) one year of a combination of college level mathematics and basic sciences (some with experimental experience) appropriate to the discipline (b) one and one-half years of engineering topics, consisting of engineering sciences and engineering design appropriate to the student's field of study (c) a general education component that complements the technical content of the curriculum and is consistent with the program and institution objectives.

 

 

ECE 4810 Course Learning Outcomes

 

The course level learning outcomes contribute to the departmental learning outcomes as indicated below. The relevance of specific course activities to the departmental learning objectives is indicated in the course schedule at the end of the syllabus.  Graduates of ECE 4810 must have:

1.      an appreciation of the importance of using notebooks to document engineering research and development work (ABET: g);

2.      an ability to develop a needs analysis (ABET: a,c,e,h,j);

3.      a working knowledge of the sources of engineering design specifications (e.g. consumers, companies, groups having authority) (ABET: c,e);

4.      an ability to develop a comprehensive set of quantitative and qualitative engineering design specifications based on a needs analysis (ABET: a,c,e,h,j);

5.      an ability to apply and understand the advantages and disadvantages of the three primary methods of engineering design: synthesis, repeated analysis, and device evolution (ABET: a,c,e,k);

6.      an ability to conduct a physical and economic feasibility study for a proposed device or system (ABET: a,b,c,e,k);

7.      an ability to conduct a literature and patent search to support an engineering design project (ABET: a,b,c,e,k);

8.      an ability to design a device or system to meet a specified need using knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering, while considering (as listed by ABET Engineering Criteria 2000) “economic; environmental; sustainability; manufacturability; ethical; health and safety; social; and political” issues (ABET: a,b,c,e,h,j,k);

9.      an ability to effectively function as a member of a design team (ABET: c,d,g);

10.  an ability to develop a strategy for designing a device or system based on a precedence matrix (ABET: a,b,c,e,k);

11.  an ability to use physical and/or mathematical models to verify that a designed device or system satisfies the design specifications (ABET: a,b,c,e,k);

12.  an ability to provide effective documentation for an engineering design project (ABET: g);

13.  an ability to estimate time needed to complete an engineering project using the critical math method and the program evaluation and review technique (ABET: c,k);

14.  a knowledge of the role that human factors engineering has in engineering design (ABET: a,c);

15.  an ability to determine the tolerance on a device or system based on the tolerances of the individual components comprising that device or system (ABET: a,c,e,k);

16.  a basic understanding of mechanisms to protect intellectual property, including patents, copyrights, trademarks, semiconductor masks, and trade secrets (ABET: c,e,k);

17.  an understanding and appreciation of engineering ethics, including an ability to cite examples where engineering ethics were compromised with disastrous consequences (ABET: f);

18.  a knowledge of the IEEE and the NSPE Code of Ethics (ABET: f);

19.  an understanding of the importance of, and how to obtain, a professional engineering license (ABET: f);

20.  an appreciation for the role engineers play in society (ABET: f,h,i,j);

21.  an awareness of basic electronic system prototyping techniques (ABET: k);

22.  and an ability to correctly and effectively communicate via the written word (ABET: d,g,k).

 

Textbook and Materials:

Required:

  1. Access to the webpage http://homepages.wmich.edu/~miller/ECE4810.html; visit this webpage often to check for updates.
  2. W. H. Middendorf and R. H. Engelmann, Design of Devices and Systems, Marcel Dekker, 3rd ed., 1998.
  3. J. E. Aaron, Little, Brown Essential Handbook, Longman, 2010 (7th edition).

 

Recommended:

  1. List of resources provided by Professor E. Eckel, Assistant Professor and Engineering and Applied Sciences Librarian, including online videos, on finding reference materials.

 

    1. LINK TO LIBRARY GUIDE FOR ENGINEERING by Mr. Eckel

http://libguides.wmich.edu/engineeringhttp://libguides.wmich.edu/engineering

b.      ASTM STANDARDS

http://libproxy.library.wmich.edu/login?url=http://enterprise.astm.org/

    1. Video One - Introduction  - Who am I and what I can do for you?
      Introduction to the engineering librarian - This video is linked via YouTube 
      URL:       http://youtu.be/G6Vf9HcvKyE
    2. Video Two - Brainstorming keywords
      URL -       http://screencast.com/t/CzxSyYJtc
    3. Video Three - Using the Catalog
      URL -       http://screencast.com/t/aiGWwtCbgfNq
    4. Video Four - What database should I use?
      URL:       http://screencast.com/t/FdtOXjbi
    5. Video Five - Using Engineering Village
      URL:       http://screencast.com/t/XhRKu2CNAB
    6. Video Six - Accessing Full Text Articles
      URL:       http://screencast.com/t/RIREG45Mvpc
    7. Engineering Subject Guide

http://libguides.wmich.edu/engineering

j.        Computer Science Subject Guide
http://libguides.wmich.edu/compsci

  1. Student Reference Manual for Electronic Instrumentation Laboratories, S. Wolf and R. F. M. Smith, Pearson Prentice Hall, 1990 (1st ed.) or 2004 (2nd ed.). Available for checkout in the ECE office.
  2. Linear Technology, LTspice® IV, available at no cost at http://www.linear.com/designtools/software/.  This software can be used to simulate circuits of any complexity and is available in the CAE center.
  3. A high level mathematics software suite is useful but not required for course assignments.  Such packages are practically indispensable for your senior design project. These packages are typically offered to students at significantly reduced rates. Pick one and master it for use throughout your academic and professional career:

a.       The MathWorks®, MATLAB® & SIMULINK® (student version).  This is a tremendous value as this package includes many toolboxes and blocksets that must be purchased separately for use in a professional version. Use this opportunity to learn MATLAB®; this is one of the most widely used software packages, especially in electrical engineering.

b.      Wolfram Research, Mathematica®.  This is a remarkable, unified symbolic approach to computing.  Visit http://www.mathematica.com/ to see some of the extraordinary capabilities of this package developed by Stephen Wolfram.

c.       MapleSoft®, MapleTM, available on main campus.

 

References:

 

  1. Engineering Report Writing, John Fiske Brown, United Western Press, revised 3rd edition, 1989. Available for checkout in the ECE office.
  2. Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut’s Journeys, M. Collins, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 40th Anniversary Edition, 2009. Autobiography of Apollo 11 astronaut.
  3. Von Braun: Dreamer of Space, Engineer of War, M. J. Neufeld, Vintage Books, 2008.
  4. NASA MISSION AS-506 Apollo 11 1969 (including Saturn V, CM-107, SM-107, LM-5): Owners’ Workshop Manual, C. Riley and P. Dolling, Haynes Publishing, 2009.
  5. “Defects and Deceptions – The Bjork-Shiley Heart Valve.” J. H. Fielder, IEEE Technology and Society Magazine, vol. 14, pp. 17-22, 1995. Available through IEEE Xplore®.

 

Source of Potential Support:

 

1.      http://www.ti.com/corp/docs/landing/universityprogram/

 

Other:

1.      Valuable resource for help with written communication skills: WMU Writing Center: http://www.wmich.edu/casp/writingcenter/ (Ellsworth Hall, room 1343)

2.      See http://www.wmich.edu/engineer/events.htm for events in the WMU College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

3.      Hyperlinks are provided later in this document for resources related to engineering design, vendors, engineering ethics, etc.

4.      “Preparation of Papers for IEEE Transactions and Journals (May 2007),” use as example of how to format references.

Course Documents and Forms:

  1. Characteristics of an Ideal ECE Senior Design Project
  2. Policy on Patents and Release of Reports
  3. Project Topic Application Cover Sheet
  4. Project Topic Application Grading Form
  5. Proposal Evaluation Form
  6. Sponsor Acknowledgment of Receipt and Evaluation of Final Project Proposal

 

Links:

  1. http://www.automow.com/ (specifications example)
  2. electronic design: http://www.electronicdesign.com
  3. Electronic Products Magazine: http://electronicproducts.com
  4. Sensors Magazine: http://www.sensorsmag.com
  5. techonline (includes design, learning, and product center): http://www.techonline.com
  6. Standards: http://www.nssn.org; http://www.irda.org; http://www.nema.org
  7. IC datasheets: http://icmaster.com
  8. Components purchase: http://www.newark.com; www.digikey.com; http://eemlocalsources.com; http://eemonline.com

 

Course Policies

Academic Honesty

General:

“You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs that pertain to Academic Honesty. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. [The policies can be found at http://catalog.wmich.edu under Academic Policies, Student Rights and Responsibilities.] If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with your instructor if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.” — provided by the Professional Concerns Committee of the WMU Faculty Senate

Plagiarism:

“One of the most serious academic offenses is plagiarism (see definition for "plagiarize" in the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary). If your institution, colleagues, or professional organization believe that you have unfairly used the work (the intellectual property) of another person, you may lose your job, be asked to leave your university, and/or have your professional career ruined” [from http://www.ohio.edu/linguistics/info/plagiarism.html].  See that website for tutorials on how to insure that you never plagiarize another’s work.

Grading Basis

Project Proposal (written)

40%

Proposal Preparation Process and Homework

15%

Examination and Quizzes (announced or unannounced)

45%

Penalty for avoidable non-3-person team

15%

 

OUTSTANDING WORK might earn extra credit.  Incorrect assignments may be returned for rework and resubmission. Critical assignments must be satisfactorily completed to earn a passing grade. The first student to report an error in any material prepared by the course instructor will earn extra credit.

 

Scale: 0-60 E | 60-65 D | 65-70 DC | 70-75 C | 75-80 CB | 80-85 B | 85-90 BA | 90-100 A |

Class attendance is required and might be factored into the final class score. A midterm grade, if assigned, serves only as an indication of your progress in the course, and should not be used as an indicator of your final grade.

 

Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Examination

Students that take the FE exam during this semester will earn a 10% credit added to their final grade. Proof of examination attendance attached to a memo submitted to the course instructor by the Wednesday of final exam week is required to earn this credit. See http://www.ncees.org for the examination registration deadline and test date. Students that have already passed this examination are eligible for this credit. Note that the FE exam is offered 14 April 2012 and that the registration deadline is 23 February 2012. Double check this information on your own!

 

EXAMINATIONS AND QUIZZES will be closed-notes and closed-book unless otherwise noted. You must have a WMU issued ID with you at the exam.

 

Only under extremely unusual circumstances will make-up examinations and quizzes be considered.  If an emergency prevents you from attending a scheduled examination or quiz, contact your instructor PRIOR to the test or as soon as you can reach a telephone, e-mail terminal, etc. If the instructor cannot be reached directly, leave a message with the department (276-3150).  Failure to adhere to this policy will result in zero credit for the exercise.

 

Use of Calculators
When a calculator is allowed on a quiz/exam, without exception only models accepted by the Fundamentals of Engineering Examination may be used; see http://www.ncees.org/Exams/FE_exam/Calculator_policy.php for a list of approved calculators.

HOMEWORK will be assigned regularly. Some of it will be collected and evaluated. Collected homework should normally be done on 8 1/2'' by 11'' sheets.  “Engineer's Pad” sheets are preferred. Solutions must be done in a neat, structured, logical, and orderly manner with frequent brief notations enabling the grader to readily verify the author's source of information, steps taken, sources of formula, equations, and methods used. (USE THE PARTIAL CHECK LIST FOR HOMEWORK SUBMITTED FOR EVALUATION below).  Papers failing to meet these guidelines may not be graded and may be returned, with or without an opportunity for resubmission with a penalty. LATE HOMEWORK will not be accepted, except under extraordinary circumstances.

 

For reading assignments, submit a signed and dated statement “I certify that I have read [reading assignment here] in its entirety” as part of the homework to be turned in. For websites, use a statement “I certify that I have substantially explored [website address here]”.

 

PARTIAL CHECK LIST FOR HOMEWORK SUBMITTED FOR EVALUATION:

 

  1. The first page must include: (a) author's name, (b) course name/number, (c) due date, and (d) name/title/identification of the assignment (e.g. R&D problems 3, 7 & 9 chapter 4, Middendorf).
  2. Use only one side of the paper and include a brief and concise statement of the problem prior to its solution. Begin each problem on a new page.
  3. Number the pages and {DOUBLE SPACE} the text.
  4. Place problems in ascending order and staple in the upper left corner.
  5. In answers to subjective questions, USE COMPLETE SENTENCES and proper grammar, punctuation, style and terminology appropriate to technical writing. Consult Pfeiffer. Responses must be justified and demonstrate your mastery of the related material.
  6. GRAPHS:  Entitle graphs, label and include axes, include key symbols for multiple curve graphs, and give brief notes of explanation where appropriate.
  7. Briefly but clearly annotate your document in a way which will provide the document reader with information such as:
  8. You may not use circuit design software tools alone to complete homework without prior permission. You may use such tools to check homework hand analyses.

 

The author's sense of professional pride should be discernible from the manner of information presentation.

 

Electronic Devices
Electronic devices are to be turned off (unless there is a safety issue) during lecture unless arrangements have been made with the instructor.

Course SCHEDULE

Schedule subject to change. Additional Friday class meetings might be scheduled. All homework assignments are to be completed individually except as noted. Religious observances will be accommodated with advanced notice.

 

class #

date

topic

WEEK 1

       1 

1/9

course introduction
discuss course learning objectives and syllabus
discuss ideal 4810/20 project
importance of engineering notebooks
project search
formation of senior design teams
example proposal

 

TURN IN EACH HOMEWORK AS A SEPARATE STAPLED PACKET WITH A COVER PAGE

 

HW #1 DUE 1/18

 

Note: for reading assignments you must SIGN the statement “I certify that I have read [reading assignment here] in its entirety” if applicable to receive credit.

 

Note: for websites you must SIGN the statement “I certify that I have substantially explored [website address here]” if applicable to receive credit.

 

1.      Read syllabus

2.      Read Middendorf CH 1.1-1.2 and CH 3

3.      Read sections 38 and 39 of Aaron

4.      Explore the website http://www.ohio.edu/LINGUISTICS/info/plagiarism.html; discuss how plagiarism might arise in ECE 4810 and how plagiarism can be completely avoided.

 

HW #2: DUE 1/18

1.      Read descriptions of previous senior design projects available at http://www.wmich.edu/engineer/senior-design-conference.htm

2.      Read Characteristics of an Ideal ECE Senior Design Project

3.      Read Policy on Patents and Release of Reports

4.      Reread syllabus section on Project Constraints, and in particular the course policy on accepting only “open” projects

 

HW #3 DUE 1/18

Form design team and submit memo identifying group members (one memo per group).

 

HW #4: DUE 1/25

 

Note: As always, responses to subjective questions must be justified and demonstrate your mastery of the related material.

 

1.      Read Middendorf chapters 6 and 10

2.      Complete Middendorf, CH 1, Review and Discussion, questions 1, 2, and 3; Middendorf, CH 6, Review and Discussion question 1

3.      Provide two example sentences that are a) first person active; b) first person passive; c) third person passive; and d) third person active. Your technical writing text may be useful here or see [Brown 1989].

       2 

1/11

plagiarism (including proper use of quotes in homework, citing sources,
collaborative learning, etc.)

engineering design: needs analysis and specifications
Note: course instructor to email project leads list.

WEEK 2

 

1/16

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

       3 

1/18

engineering design: needs analysis and sources and types of specifications
Note: course instructor to bring example devices: straight-line trainer [constructed by former 4810/4820 group]

 

HWS #1-#3 DUE

WEEK 3

       4 

1/23

writing style for engineering documents

engineering design: needs analysis and specifications

engineering design: specifications taxonomy

       5 

1/25

introduction to engineering design methods

engineering design: device evolution

 

HW #4 DUE

 

HW #5 DUE 2/6

1.      Explore www.nssn.org, a “search engine for standards”

2.      Complete REVIEW PROBLEM SET as handed out in class. Be sure to follow homework preparation guidelines as described in the syllabus.

3.      Middendorf CH 3, Review and Discussion, questions 1, 2, 6, 7, 10

4.      Using WMU’s library website, obtain an electronic copy of the article “Floating a Challenge” by Carlson in Scientific American, vol. 279, issue 5, pgs. 112 and 114, November 1998. Read (but do not turn in) that article.

5.      Complete PP3.5

6.      Read Middendorf CH 4 up to and including 4.4.1 and CH 15

WEEK 4

       6 

1/30

project topic application (PTA)
Note: course instructor to bring example PTA

 

engineering design: repeated analysis

engineering design: synthesis

       7 

2/1

design methods/plagiarism quiz

WEEK 5

       8 

2/6

engineering design: feasibility studies

proposal preparation

 

HW #5 DUE
(can turn in 2/8 without penalty)

 

HW #6 DUE 2/20

1.      Middendorf, CH 10, Review and Discussion, questions 2, 10

2.      Complete PP10.100. Carefully document your work. Attach a signed statement stating that your results have been verified and are correct. Assignments will not be accepted without this statement.

3.      Read Middendorf CH 8

4.      Using WMU’s library website, obtain an electronic copy of the article “Chilling Tale: GE Refrigerator Woes Illustrate the Hazards in Changing a Product” by O’Boyle in the May 7, 1990 The Wall Street Journal. Read (but do not turn in) that article. Prepare a memo describing how feasibility studies might have avoided the described fallout of developing a new rotary compressor.

       9 

2/8

BRING A COPY OF YOUR RESUME

(ON A LAPTOP COMPUTER IF POSSIBLE)

job search skills, including “the interview” and resume preparation


Guest Speaker
Christine Martin, HR Specialist, Parker Aerospace

WEEK 6

    10 

2/13

planning the design process: precedence table/matrix

work flow diagrams

    11 

2/15

engineering design:  view NOVA® video “TO THE MOON,” a documentary on the Apollo space program. Interested students may find supplemental information at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tothemoon/

WEEK 7

    12 

2/20

discuss NOVA® video “TO THE MOON”

 

HW #6 DUE

    13 

2/22

project planning: CPM

project scheduling: PERT

 

PTA DUE (turn in ONE copy only) with completed “Project Topic Application Cover Sheet”

 

2/23

FE EXAM REGISTRATION DEADLINE

WEEK 8

    14 

2/27

project scheduling: PERT

senior design project proposal evaluation criteria

    15 

2/29

review PTAs (instructor meets with each group)

 

HW #7 DUE 3/19

1.      Read CH 5 Middendorf

2.      Using the WMU library (“IEEE Spectrum”) locate and read the article “It’s All in Your Head” by Harry Goldstein, IEEE Spectrum, vol. 39, issue 3, pp. 65-68.

 

HW #8 DUE 3/21

PP 8.3.2h (one per group)

WEEK 9

    16 

3/12

discuss design methods/plagiarism quiz

discuss 8.3.2h and 8.3.2k

system vs. component tolerances

discuss exam #1

    17 

3/14

intellectual property

WEEK 10

    18 

3/19

LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW

 

intellectual property

 

engineering ethics: introduction
Who decides what is “right” and “wrong”?

Is there absolute “right” and “wrong”?

Who defines moral law?

 

FIRST DRAFT OF PROJECT PROPOSAL DUE to 4810 instructor

Be sure to attach a proposal evaluation form (“Evaluation Criteria for ECE 4810 Project Proposals”) as the cover of your proposal; FILL OUT THE PROJECT TITLE AND TEAM MEMBERS on that form. Also TURN IN YOUR GRADED PTA with your proposal.

 

HW #7 DUE

    19 

3/21

engineering ethics

 

HW#8 DUE

 

HW #9 DUE 4/2

1.      Read Middendorf section 1.3

2.      Locate and read IEEE Code of Ethics

3.      Locate and read NSPE Code of Ethics

4.      Explore the engineering ethics cases described at http://ethics.tamu.edu/ethicscasestudies.htm; pick three REAL cases to read in detail

 

HW #10 DUE 4/9

PP 8.3.2k (one per group)

WEEK 11

    20 

3/26

exam preparation (review HW)

    21 

3/28

exam preparation (review HW)

 

Practice Problem 10.100 RESUBMIT DUE 4/13

Carefully document your work. Attach a signed statement stating that your results have been verified and are correct. Assignments will not be accepted without this statement.

 

WEEK 12

    22 

4/2

engineering ethics

 

HW #9 DUE

 

SECOND DRAFT OF PROJECT PROPOSAL DUE to 4810 instructor (be sure to include a copy of the proposal evaluation form as the proposal cover sheet)

 

assign country to each group for HW#13

 

HW #11 (one per group) DUE 4/11

1.      DM-1

2.      DM-2

HW #12 DUE 4/11

1.      DM-3

2.      DM-4

3.      Register your credentials at broncojobs.wmich.edu

    23 

4/4

EXAM #1 (bring “blue book”)

WEEK 13

    24 

4/9

view NSPE video “Gilbane Gold” that describes a fictitious yet realistic engineering ethics case

 

HW #10 DUE

 

HW #13 DUE 4/16

1.      Prepare a memo recommending a course of action to the fictitious character David Jackson featured in the NSPE “Gilbane Gold” video assuming that he has not yet gone public and the media is unaware of the “problem.” You must use a code of ethics (e.g. IEEE or NSPE) to justify your response

2.      Read Middendorf CH 2

    25 

4/11

Joshua Kohnert

Career and Student Employment Services

 

in-class presentations of DM-1 and DM-2

 

HW #11 DUE

HW #12 DUE

    26 

4/13

FRIDAY FRIDAY FRIDAY

 

10.100 resubmissions due

 

product liability

engineering registration

electronic equipment fabrication techniques

 

4/14

FE EXAM

WEEK 14

    27 

4/16

final examination preparation

 

HW #13 DUE

 

4/17

TUESDAY: attend at least two ECE presentations at the senior design conference. Sign attendance sheet.

    28 

4/18

encourage instructor evaluation participation

course wrap-up

 

FINAL DRAFT OF PROJECT PROPOSAL DUE to 4810 advisor (be sure to include a copy of the proposal evaluation form as the proposal cover sheet);

Submit Sponsor Evaluation and Acknowledgement of Receipt of Final Project Proposal form.  See form for instructions before submitting final proposal draft.

WEEK 15

    29 

Monday

4/23

5-7PM

FINAL EXAM (Bring “blue book”)

 

 

Credits and Copyright

 

Parts adapted/adopted from syllabi by J. Gesink and J. Kelemen

 

© 2012 Damon A. Miller. All rights reserved.

 

Return to Dr. Miller’s homepage