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Engineering education in analogue electronics

morgaine

Resources in support of education for future engineers are a common topic here, but we tend to focus more on the digital side of things and analogue gets comparatively little attention.  Those interested in  rounding out their electronics education a bit (or even a lot), maybe in preparation for a forthcoming course, may enjoy the following awesome product which is designed specifically to support education in analogue electronics:

 

Analog System Lab Kit PRO

 

"ASLK PRO has been produced by mikroElektronika for Texas Instruments.  This kit is designed for undergraduate engineering students to perform  analog lab experiments. The main idea behind ASLK PRO is to provide a  cost efficient platform or test bed for students to realize almost any  analog system using general purpose ICs such as OP-Amps and analog  multipliers."


The site at the link above provides lots of supporting materials for self-study, and also notes that TI donates up to 10 of these to US and EU universities with appropriate courses of study through their TI University Program.  It's very encouraging to see such a complete package of support for engineering education in the analogue domain along with the study materials to go with it.

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  • Wow, that's a nice-looking board. Interestingly I was pricing up in my head just recently how much it would cost to create this kind of board (and I was thinking of using the header-pin method as they have done :-).

    They have a nice user manual too.

    Analog Devices have a kit of parts that Farnell sells, but it doesn't come with any exercises. That too looks like good value for money, but this TI one is a full-blown course - easily worth the money to someone who is committed to learning analog circuitry.

  • in reply to shabaz

    Yes - this is a really nice kit (and easily worth 4x RPi image).

     

    I did misread

    Depictive board markings

    as

    Deceptive board markings

     

    on first glance which gave me a jolt but it does look like a really good effort. And  a million times better than the simulation based offerings that seem popular in other places.

     

    You can download the manual for free.

     

    The only downside is that you'll need  a scope, dual power supply and signal gnerator to use it.

     

    Now there's a challenge - throw in an adequate usb type scope/psu/sig gen for only an additional $99.

     

    MK

  • in reply to michaelkellett

    Just be aware of the slightly odd voltage choice for the power supply;  +/-10 V. 

     

    For people studying at universities etc this is fine, for someone just starting electronics as a hobby or perhaps at primary/ secondary school, this could be a bit more challenging than getting two 9V batteries in series with a centre tap.

     

    It does depend of course on how interested someone is, I recommended one of these boards to one of the apprentice Electronic Technicians at work, it floored them completely, so much so they lost interest.  My hobby horse of apprentices who aren't interested in their subject awaits a different post!

     

    Note - these are not what I would call traditional apprenticeships, it is the new modern dofangled 'let's get some cheap labour and let them do a course to get our subsidy' type.

     

    Colin

  • in reply to bodgy

    Haha, good story.  I suppose it's a rite of passage.  Those who can't figure out how to get a specified supply voltage applied had better stick to the simpler domain of digital, where the right voltage is something you buy off the shelf.

     

    image

     

    Regarding poor quality apprentices, alas the entire West is heading that way.  You can't farm out all your pit-face work to the far east and then expect people to know what actual rock feels like.  What's been happening here in the last few decades in the name of profit is sheer technological suicide.

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  • in reply to bodgy

    Haha, good story.  I suppose it's a rite of passage.  Those who can't figure out how to get a specified supply voltage applied had better stick to the simpler domain of digital, where the right voltage is something you buy off the shelf.

     

    image

     

    Regarding poor quality apprentices, alas the entire West is heading that way.  You can't farm out all your pit-face work to the far east and then expect people to know what actual rock feels like.  What's been happening here in the last few decades in the name of profit is sheer technological suicide.

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