MTE 100: Mechatronics Engineering
Fall, 2009
Introduction:
MTE 100, Mechatronics Engineering, is a first year course that is designed to expose students to the
Engineering profession, prepare you for your first work term, and to provide an introduction to the field
of Mechatronics Engineering. The course provides an introduction to some of the basic methods and
principles used in Mechatronics Engineering. Material covered will include measurement and analysis,
history of the engineering profession, history of mechatronics, study of the mechatronics process and
integration of electrical and electronic engineering, computer technology and control engineering with
mechanical engineering in the design, manufacture and maintenance of a range of engineering products
and processes. Engineering graphics fundamentals of multi-view, isometric, oblique, and perspective
projections are covered while developing skills in computer-aided drawing (CAD), freehand sketching,
and the interpretation of technical drawings. A mechatronic design project/competition with small
groups supplements the lecture material.
Teaching Team:
The name and contact information of the teaching team members are given below:
Sanjeev Bedi, Course Instructor; (519) 888 4567 Ext. 32178; office: E3 3134B; email:
sbedi@mecheng1.uwaterloo.ca
Jim Baleshta, In charge Graphics Lab; (519) 888-4567 Ext. 36737; office: E3-3103; email:
baleshta@mecheng1.uwaterloo.ca
David Halford, Teaching Assistant; dhalford@engmail.uwaterloo.ca
J. Fromme, Teaching Assistant ; email: jkfromme@engmail.uwaterloo.ca
B. Pallen; email: bpallen@engmail.uwaterloo.ca
Weekly Format
In order to teach the course effectively, it has been divided into four components: Lectures;
Communication Labs; Graphics Labs; and Presentation Tutorials.
Monday and Wednesday Lectures – Mechatronics Engineering
The lecture component of the course will introduce you to the engineering profession, its history, and its
responsibilities. In addition, the lectures will provide an introduction to the field of Mechatronics. The
topics covered will include:
1. Introduction to Professional Engineering
2. Elements of the Design process
3. Project Planning and Scheduling
4. Processing Data
5. Digital Logic
6. Control Logic and State Machines
7. Sensors and Actuators
8. Fuzzy Logic
9. Measurements and Errors (Statistics)
10. Business Models and Intellectual Property
11. Writing and presentations are important skills for an engineer.
The format for these lectures is as follows:
The lecture will begin with an invention of the week (if scheduled). The course instructor or an
invited guest will present the working principles of a common day object. This component will
be held once a week or more depending on the availability of time.
Lecture to cover the assigned topic.
Tuesday Mornings – Communications Lab
Writing and presentations are important skills for an engineer. In any engineering task an engineer is
required to communicate their design, instructions, opinions, decisions, and directions to others. These
communications must be concise, clear and courteous. The Communications and Writing Skills
component of MTE 100 (Mechatronics Engineering) is designed to emphasize the importance of good
writing skills in a successful engineering career. One lecture, one tutorial, and one lab hour per week
(every Tuesday) will be devoted to Communications. These “Communication Labs” will be held in the
WEEF labs. The format of the lab is given below. Each Tuesday morning there are three one hour
timeslots, each for a lecture, tutorial and laboratory. These three hours will be devoted to written
communication skills. The format for this “Communications Lab” is as follows:
The first hour of the communications lab will be devoted to CECS activities. These activities will
include an introduction to coop; resume writing; interview skills etc. The CECS component will
have a 4 quizzes associated with it for a total mark of 5% of the course. The first quiz will be
marked, but the remaining quizzes must be attempted. Failure to write all the quizzes will result
in a mark of 0 (zero) in the CECS component regardless of what you get in the first quiz.
The communications assignment for that week will be announced. This assignment will be due
by Friday before 4:30 PM.
Introduction to and explanation of the assignment topic.
Each week a grammar reading will be assigned and will be accompanied with a grammar
exercise. This exercise is to be handed in before the Wednesday class starts the next day
(08:30).
Time is allotted to work on the Communication assignment and the Grammar Exercise during
the lab. TAs will be available to answer any questions during this time.
Thursday Mornings – Graphics Lab
This section of MTE 100 is handled by Professor Baleshta.
Thursday Afternoons – Presentation Skills
The presentation skills will be developed during the Thursday tutorial. For the first class, a video will be
shown in RCH 103 on presentation techniques. Subsequent classes will be in sections. Each section will
be led by a TA. During this tutorial each student will get a chance to make two technical presentations.
These presentations will be critiqued by the TA’s and student colleagues.
The requirement for the first presentation will be to explain how an invention/device (of student’s
choice) works. The second presentation will be picked by the student from a list of topics. Topics will be
assigned on a first come first served basis.
Grades:
The grades in this course will be determined on the basis of performance in:
Graphics; (35%)
Oral Presentations (5%)
(2) Quizzes (10%)
Written Communications +CECS(Assignments and Grammar exercises) (20%)
Project and report (30%).
Course Website: ACE will be used to post course related material.
Rules for Group Work in Lab Assignments: Students can work in groups, but each student must submit
their own work.
POLICY ON CHEATING:
Engineering , medicine and law are professions. The word profession means that the members serve the
public and must practice with the highest standard of honesty and ethics. Without these standards,
buildings, hospitals and courts would be unsafe for the general public. A profession polices itself; that is,
disciplinary action is taken against its own members for violations even if the instance is not illegal.
(Legal action may also be taken if laws have been broken.) Plagiarism, or the stealing of intellectual
property, is a violation of ethics and arguably the law. At the University of Waterloo Policy 71 governs
plagiarism. Please read http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~ugoffice/html/course_responsibilities.html
regarding your responsibilities and rights.
Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has
been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70, Student
Petition and Grievances, Section 4, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy70.htm. When in
doubt pleasebe certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further
assistance.
Lab Deadline: Labs have to be handed in to the TA by the end of your lab section.
Late Submissions: Late labs can be handed to the TA’s. Late labs will have 10% marks deducted for each
day that the lab is late.
Missed Labs: The lab mark for the course allow for the exclusion of marks obtained in the worst lab
assignment. So students can afford to miss or not hand in one lab for marking. Use this privilege
carefully.
Pick up Marked Labs: Marked lab assignments will be available from your TA during your lab section.
Academic Integrity, Grievance, Discipline, Appeals and Note for Students with Disabilities: See www.u
waterloo.ca/accountability/documents/courseoutlinestmts.pdf The text for this web site is listed below:
Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity [check www.uwaterloo.ca
/academicintegrity/] to avoid committing an academic offence, and to take responsibility for his/her acti
ons. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning ho
w to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should
seek guidance from the course instructor, academic advisor, or the undergraduate Associate Dean. For
information on categories of offences and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71, Student
Discipline, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/Policies/policy71.htm. For typical penalties check Guidelines
for the Assessment of Penalties, www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/guidelines/penaltyguidelines.htm.
Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 (Student Petitions and Grievances) (other
than a petition) or Policy 71 (Student Discipline) may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who bel
ieves he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 (Student Appeals) www.adm.uwaterlo
o.ca/infosec/Policies/policy72.htm.
Note for Students with Disabilities: The Office for persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Ha
ll, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for
students with disabilities without comproising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require ac
ademic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the OPD at the begi
nning of each academic term.
Schedule:
The course schedule is given below. The schedule may change as the course progresses.
MTE100 Course Schedule
Week
Lecture
Lecture-Lab
Lecture
Deliverable
Monday 10:30 RCH103
Tuesday 8:30 E2-1310
Wednesday 10:30 RCH103
(Fri. 8:30)
1
Intro. to Mechatronics and
Intro. to Nexus; Coop foundation Intro. to Mechatronics and
Resume, IPE 6,7
14 Sept. MTE100 IPE 5
and strategy (CECS). Resume
MTE100
2
Intro. to Professional
Coop founds. (CECS), Resume, Intro. to Professional
Memo
21 Sept. Engineering IPE1,2
Design Project, Comp, Memo
Engineering
3
Design Process
Interview wrkshp (CECS) Cover Design Process
Cover letter
28 Sept. IPE 15
Letter, Film
4
Design Process
(CECS); Design Workshop;
Project Planning &
RFP
5 Oct.
Tables & Charts
Scheduling IPE 18
5
Thanksgiving
QUIZ 1 ; Info session CECS
Presenting Data
Workshop assignment
12 Oct.
IPE 9
LBCH 4
6
Presenting Data
NQC & Design project
Digital Logic
LBCH 5
19 Oct.
7
Digital Logic
WHMIS, Proposal assignment
Control Logic & State
LBCH 3
26 Oct.
machines
8
Control Logic & State
Control Logic; Info session
Sensors & Actuators
Proposal (due 3 Nov.)
2 Nov. machines
PDEng
9
Sensors & Actuators
Robot construction; Info session Sensors & Actuators
LBCH Glossary of usage
9 Nov.
CECS
10
Intro to Control Systems
Robot construction;
Intro to Fuzzy Logic Control LBCH 6
16 Nov.
11
Measurements & Error
Diversity Workshop; PDEng
Measurements & Error
RoboRacer Competition
23 Nov. IPE 10, 11
IPE 12
IPE 8
12
Business Models IPE 16
QUIZ 2, work on design report
Intellectual Property IPE 17
Project Report
30 Nov.
NOTES:
Graphics & CAD lab every Thursday 8:30-11:20 in CPH-1346; Communication Lab, Tut. and Lec: Tuesday: 8:30 to 11:30
Speech Presentation Skills Tutorial every Thursday 2:30-3:20 in RCH 106, 109, 208, 209
IPE # in Red indicates Assigned chapter associated with the lecture; Quiz1 & 2 will include review questions from these chapters.
Little Brown Compact Handbook chapters under ‘Deliverable’ to be read by that date; there will be a pop-quiz on this material.