MECH307 - Exam II Review Topics

reading assignments covered: Chapters 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 (9.1-9.2 only)
(see the syllabus for section details)

  1. microcontrollers and the PIC
    1. mP and mC architecture and terminology
      1. bus
      2. CPU, ALU
      3. RAM, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM
    2. PicBasic Pro
      1. For...Next, Gosub...Return, Goto, High, If...Then...Else, Input, Low, Output, Pause, Pot, While...Wend
      2. PORTA, PORTB, TRISA, TRISB
      3. variable types (BIT, BYTE, WORD)
      4. binary (%), hex ($)
      5. bit access (register.bit)
      6. integer arithmetic, truncation, overflow
    3. design procedure
      1. flowcharts
    4. interfacing
      1. switches and buttons
      2. LEDs and displays
      3. transistors
      4. open collector or open drain output (e.g., with a comparator or pin RA4)
  2. system response
    1. frequency response
      1. amplitude ratio
      2. phase angle
      3. cutoff frequency
      4. bandwidth
      5. attenuation
    2. Fourier series, spectrum
      1. period
      2. fundamental frequency
      3. harmonics
    3. measurement system characteristics
      1. amplitude linearity
      2. adequate bandwidth
      3. phase linearity, time displacement
    4. 0th, 1st, and 2nd order systems
      1. sensitivity
      2. time constant
      3. RC circuit, low-pass filter
      4. natural frequency
      5. damping ratio, underdamped, critically damped, overdamped
      6. resonance
  3. modeling analogies
    1. flow, effort, resistance, capacitance, inertia
    2. relating (deriving) analogous physical parameters
    3. creating analogies between mechanical and electrical systems
  4. operational amplifier
    1. terminology (inverting input, noninverting input, feedback, etc.)
    2. assumptions
    3. circuit analysis
    4. applications
      1. inverting amp
      2. noninverting amp
      3. integrator
    5. characteristics of real op amps
      1. frequency response
      2. fall-off frequency
      3. maximum output voltage
      4. maximum output current
  5. data acquisition
    1. Shannon's Sampling Theorem
    2. aliasing
    3. A/D conversion
      1. resolution
      2. quantization size
      3. flash converter
    4. D/A conversion
  6. position measurement
    1. switches
      1. pole, throw, NO, NC
    2. potentiometer
    3. LVDT
      1. demodulation
      2. filtering
    4. digital encoders
      1. absolute vs. relative
      2. gray vs. binary
      3. quadrature decoding
  7. miscellaneous
    1. difficulties from Exam I
    2. reading assignments
    3. homework assignments
    4. Lab exercises