Robotics Club’s Mission: Educate and Have Fun
Here at robotics club, we believe that learning can be fun. If you already have interest in applying engineering concepts
and not just reading from books, you are at the right place! Electrical science is a broad topic, and therefore cannot be
taught in just 8 weeks (nevermind once or twice a week). However, in this course, we attempt to narrow down to the
basic concepts—those that pertain to the specialized electronic engineering field. This course differs from the
conventional lecture course in the sense it is heavily biased toward real world applications. In other words, there is
always a physical deliverable to which one works toward. Here, you are not a spectator but a contributor of a team and
eventually an independent developer.
What you can get from the 8 weeks of boot camp
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
Headaches (it will pass)
Better knowledge of electrical applications
Renew interest before taking the harder Electrical Science, Analog, or Digital courses
Develop your problem solving skills (the most important)
Implement Hardware and Software Know-How
Know if engineering is right for you
And develop your own desktop application such as the Twitterizer!
Disclaimer
Although this course attempts to teach as many fundamental concepts as possible, we do recognize the possibility that
some significant concepts may be left out and we welcome any constructive suggestion.
8 Weeks of Electronics Boot Camp
I. Hardware
1. Basic DC Electronics Hardware
a. Ohm’s Law
i. Resistor and Current
ii. Love your Multimeter
iii. Potentiometer: a variable resistor
b. Conductor, Semiconductor, and Insulator
i. Copper wire
ii. Diode and LED
iii. Plastics
2. Basic AC Electronics Hardware
a. Capacitor
i. Resists change in voltage
ii. Storage/Buffer
iii. Filter
b. Inductor
i. Resists change in current
ii. Storage
iii. Electromagnet
iv. DC Motor
3. Special Motors
4.
a. Steppers
b. Servos
Electrical Switches and Debug
a. The Transistor
i. How it works (npn type)
ii. Amplifier Too? Yes!
b. Application of Electromagnet
i. Relays
c. Use all your resources
i. Oscilloscope and Multimeter
ii. Simulators
1. Labview
2. MultiSim
iii. Googling your way out!
iv. Datasheet is your friend
v. Dreamspark.com (Finally, Microsoft is giving back)
II. Software
1. Introduction to Programming
a. The C language
b. Embedded C
2. Microcontroller: Nice Things in a Small Package
a. Blinking LED
b. Controlling Motor through Electrical Switches
c. And a Whole Lot More!
3. Digital Communication
a. Universal Asynchronous Receive and Transmit (UART)
i. COM Port
ii. Baud rate
iii. Parity
iv. Data Bits
v. Stop Bit
vi. Handshake
4. Visual Studio
a. UART application
b. Twitter application
c. What’s yours?
III. Develop your application
Club’s Officers
Pres. Kelvin Le
Vice Pres. Joseph Acquaviva
Treasure Zheila Azartash-Namin