Degree in Health Engineering La Salle Campus Barcelona

Bachelor in Health Engineering

Lead the biomedical engineering that will define the medicine of the future

Electronic fundamentals

Description
This course introduces the fundamental principles governing the behavior of electronic circuits. Throughout the course, students study the fundamental components of electrical circuits: voltage sources, current sources, resistors, capacitors, and inductors, as well as the theorems and analytical methods that allow for the analysis of different circuit topologies. The course begins with the physical foundations of electronics, electrical quantities, and basic circuit laws. Subsequently, methods for analyzing direct current circuits with resistors are explained, and the practical aspects of these circuits (materials, coding, resistor types, values, and tolerances) are explored in depth. Later, other passive electronic components such as capacitors and inductors are studied, and the transient analysis of RC and RL circuits is introduced. This includes exploring the time response of systems containing capacitors and inductors, and how these components store and release energy during charging and discharging processes. Finally, alternating current (AC) is studied, addressing its characteristics, fundamental parameters, and the analysis of linear circuits under sinusoidal signals, including the use of phasors and impedance to simplify calculations. This subject lays the foundation for understanding complex electrical phenomena and developing skills in the design and analysis of more advanced electronic circuits and their practical application in healthcare engineering and other fields with electronics focus. From a practical standpoint, practical exercises are conducted to gain knowledge of basic electronic instrumentation and to implement various circuits. These exercises help students delve deeper into all the aspects covered from a theoretical perspective and allow them to see their application.
Type Subject
Primer - Obligatoria
Semester
First
Course
1
Credits
6.00

Titular Professors

Previous Knowledge

Not required

Objectives

1. Acquire knowledge of basic electronic components.
2. Ability to analyze electronic circuits.

Contents

1. Introduction to direct current
2. Linear circuit analysis theorems
3. Capacitors
4. Inductors
5. Introduction to alternating current
6. Analysis of linear circuits in AC

Methodology

The course is taught weekly with five 50-minute sessions. The methodology combines lectures with hands-on exercises that illustrate the concepts explained, and continuous assessment exercises that students must complete both in and out of class. The content covered in the lectures is reinforced with practical sessions primarily dedicated to hands-on work with electronic instruments and circuits, where students work in pairs. One of these practical sessions is divided into two parts: first, a flipped classroom activity using the Picoscope portable instrument, which is provided to the students; and then, individually at home, designing and implementing phase-shifting circuits with this instrument and a breadboard. Some sessions are dedicated to individual assessment through written tests or review sessions.

Evaluation

The assessment elements for this subject are exams: mid-term, final (regular and extraordinary sessions), continuous assessment exercises (completed in and out of class) and laboratory sessions.

Evaluation Criteria

- The final grade for the subject (Final_Grade) will be calculated by weighing two grades: the exam grade (Ex_Grade) and the continuous assessment grade (AC_Grade): Final_Grade = 0.6 · Ex_Grade + 0.4 · AC_Grade, provided that the Ex_Grade is greater than or equal to 3.5, otherwise it will be directly Final_Grade = Ex_Grade
- The continuous assessment grade is only considered if it improves the final exam grade, that is, if Final_Grade < Ex_Grade, then Final_Grade = Ex_Grade (AC_Grade is discarded).
- The exam grade (Ex_Grade) will be calculated by weighting two grades: the final exam grade (Ex_Grade) and the checkpoint grade (PC_Grade)
Ex_Grade = 0.7 · Ex_Grade + 0.3 · PC_Grade.
The final exam will assess the knowledge taught throughout the course, however, those students who passed the contents assessed in the PC with PC_Grade >=6, will be exempt from these contents in the final exam, and will only examine, in the final exam, the rest of the contents after the PC. Otherwise, all the contents taught during the course will be examined in the final exam.
In this way, there are 2 possible scenarios for calculating the exam grade (Ex_Grade):
a. Students who have cleared the contents assessed up to the PC: Ex_Grade = 0.5 Ex_Grade + 0.5 . PC_Grade
b. Students who have not released the contents evaluated until the PC: Ex_Grade = 0.7 ExF_Grade + 0.3 PC_Grade
- The grade for continuous assessment (AC_Grade) will be calculated by weighting two grades: the grade for laboratory practices (PL _Grade) and the grade for systematic performance (DS_ Grade): AC_ Grade = 0.4 PL_Grade + 0.6 DS_ Grade
- The grade for systematic performance (DS_Grade) will be calculated as: DS_GRADE = 0.9 Grade_knowledge + 0.1 Grade_attitude, where Grade_attitude will be calculated from attendance, punctuality, attitude and participation in classes and Grade_knowledge will be calculated by weighting 60% of the average of the grades for AC controls and 40% of the average of the grades for assignment submissions. AC exercises.
Students who do not pass the regular exam will have an extraordinary exam, in which they can take the make-up exams for the entire subject. In the regular exam, the mark for the control point exam (Nota_PC) is considered for the exam mark (even if it is lower than the final exam mark). In the extraordinary exam, the mark for the control point will not be taken into account and only the AC mark will be taken into account if it improves the final mark, that is, Nota_Final = max (0.6 · Ex_Grade + 0.4 · AC_Grade, Ex_Grade), where, in this case, Ex_Grade is the mark for the extraordinary exam.
- To qualify for an AC mark, it is a requirement to have completed and handed in all the practical exercises for the subject. If you have not handed in all the practical exercises, PL_Grade = 3 (if it is greater than 3, otherwise it remains at its current value).

Basic Bibliography

- Apuntes de Fundamentos de Electrónica (Dispositivas usadas en clases)
- Fundamentos de circuitos eléctricos, Alexander, C.K., Sadiku, M. N.O, Ed. Mc Graw Hill, 5ª edición, 2013.
- Análisis de circuitos en ingeniería. Hait, W. H., Kemmerly, J. E., Durbin, S. M. Ed. Mc Graw Hill, 7ª edición, 2007.
- Electrónica: Teoría de Circuitos y Dispositivos Electrónicos, Décima edición, Robert L. Boylestad, Louis Nashelsky, PEARSON EDUCACIÓN, 2009 (version en inglés: Electronic devices and circuit theory, 10th edition, by Robert L. Boylestad and Louis Nashelsky published by Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as PRENTICE HALL, INC., Copyright ©2009).
- Circuitos Microelectrónicos. Análisis y Diseño, M.H. Rashid, International Thomson Editores, 2010 (versión en inglés: Microelectronic Circuits. Analysis and Design, Brooks/Cole Publishing Company, Thomson Learning Company, 1999)
- Colecciones de Problemas, Enginyeria La Salle
- Colecciones de Prácticas de Electrónica, Enginyeria La Salle

Additional Material

See electronic folder of the subject.