PHY 4802L Laboratory Physics 1

Introduction

Welcome to PHY 4802L: Laboratory Physics 1 - Electronics. The purpose of this course is to provide you with a working knowledge of electronic circuitry and laboratory instrumentation and experience in utilizing them to build and to measure electrical circuits. This course will be different from others you have taken in your major. This may be the first time you apply what you have learned in your courses to physical situations that you control, and a large part of the learning experience will involve building and trouble-shooting circuits rather than solving textbook problems. You will need to employ problem-solving techniques, common-sense, trouble-shooting strategies and an understanding of the underlying physics. 

The course is very time intensive. You should expect to spend several hours a week outside of class on the reading assignments, lab work, and lab reports. Being pro-active in the readings and keeping a good lab book will be tremendously helpful to your success in this class.

The course schedule is linked here (preliminary, subject to change).

Instructor

Prof. Dominique Laroche - Office  NPB 2261, Phone: (352) 392-8591,
Office Hr.: Monday and Friday, 9:00-10:00,  or by appointment.
From experience, laboratory classes office hours are seldom attended.  You are encouraged to reach out to the instructor if you plan to attend office hours. 

The preferred of mode of communication is through email.  To the best of my abilities, I will try to answer inquiries within 24 hours. Messages sent through Canvas will also be answered within the same timeframe.  General class announcements will be made through the Announcement Board on Canvas

Class Meeting Times and Locations

This class takes place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30-11:30 (periods 2,3 and 4). in room NPB 1249. Classes will also be available on zoom and will be recorded. 

Required Texts

You are expected to read the material to be covered in each lab prior to coming to class. Time constraints limit the material that may be covered in each week's lecture. The lectures can not be and are not a substitute for the reading assignments. The lab report questions will be based on materials covered in lectures as well as those listed in the reading schedule. Material not covered in the lecture may be included in the labs.

• Textbook: Basic Electronics for Scientists and Engineers, D. L. Eggleston
• Supplementary Textbook: Practical Electronics for Inventors, P. Sherz & S. Monk
• Lab Manual: Word documents uploaded by the instructor during the semester.
• Lecture Notes: Power-point documents uploaded by the instructor during the semester.

Required Materials

You are encouraged to print the Lab Manual chapters and Lecture Notes to have handy when needed. You should additionally bring:

• a Lab Notebook
• Your laptop computer to run the instrumentation and the simulation software, if desired.
  Desktop computers in the lab classroom are available to run the instrumentation.
• Note that some electronic components might need to be purchased for the final project.

You should also read: How to keep a professional notebook prior to starting the labs. The textbooks, lectures, lecture notes and Lab Manual will provide the necessary background information for understanding the Labs to be performed. You are strongly encouraged to read through the relevant Lab Manual section and book reading assignment before the dates established for working on the labs.

Lab Safety

Emergency contacts:

• Dr. Yapa: NPB 1236, Phone: (352) 392-1690
• Prof. Dominique: NPB: 2261, Phone: (352) 392-8591
• Prof. Takahashi: NPB 2037, Phone: (352) 709-6286
• Prof. Furic: NPB 2264, Phone: (352) 392-9327
• UF campus police: Phone: (352) 392-1111

Course Description

Laboratory Physics 1 - Electronics will introduce you to the theory behind electronic circuits and will guide you through the realization and the measurements of such circuits.  Topics studied include both AC and DC signals and will cover:  Passive linear components (Resistors, capacitors and inductors), non-linear components (diodes), bipolar transistors, field effect transistors, operational transistors, comparators, oscillators and timers. Beyond a practical knowledge of electronics circuits, this course will also teach you about scientific writing and trouble shooting strategies. You will learn how to write a professional lab report, and how to quickly identify a circuit failure, how to identify its source and how to fix it.

Grading

Pay no attention to the grade calculation in the e-learning gradebook for this course. It does weird things. The component breakdown toward your course grade is as follows:

• Lab Prep exercises 30%
• Lab Reports: 30%
• Final Project: 25%
• Instructor evaluation of your effort, engagement and cleaniness: 15%

Grading scale:

Note that a grade of A, signifying mastery of the material, requires a near perfect score on all components of the course.

LAB PREP EXERCISES

Lab prep exercises (implemented as quizzes in Canvas) will consist of LTspice simulations of selected circuits that are due the night before the circuit is to be built in the lab. Due dates and assignments for these quizzes can be located from the "Quizzes" link. 
LTspice is a powerful  free to download simulation software.  Useful information concerning its use are listed below:
MAC shortcut list
PC shortcut list
Video tutorial (slightly outdated, but still useful)

Lab Work, Lab Notebook and Lab Reports

Among the important aspects of this course are learning how to work with electronic components and instrumentation to get from them what you want, how to take notes and maintain a notebook, and how to write good technical reports. The instructor will circulate in the lab room to provide help and evaluate your performance. They may also check your notebooks to provide advice on note keeping. See How to keep a professional notebook for further instructions.

General information about the lab and the content expected in the four Lab Reports due throughout the semester is linked here, an example report is linked here and notes about this example report that provides guidance for do's and don'ts in your report are linked here.

Assignment due dates will be strictly followed.  After a 7-hour grade period (I.e. until 7AM the day of the lab), late assignments will incur a severe penalty of up to 15% off per day late. After 4 days late the maximum grade for the assignment (assuming perfect work) will be 50%.

Final Project

Rather than a final exam this course has a final ("Skunkworks") project to be worked on in teams of two in the weeks leading up to the end of the semester (see schedule). Projects can be completed in teams of 2 or individually.  Each project will be to build a circuit, having a complexity going well beyond those in the lab manual, meant to perform some stated function. The circuit/function can be devised by the team from scratch, or it can be a circuit identified from the literature or some combination of these. In either case it must be approved by the instructor before detailed work begins (see schedule). The completed circuit will be demonstrated for the class as part of a final PowerPoint-like presentation during finals week. This should detail how the elements of the circuit come together to perform its function. Considered in the grading will be circuit’s complexity (with designed circuits ranking higher than found circuits), the quality of the circuit's descriptions in the presentations (appropriately using principles learned throughout the course) and finally execution (did the circuit work, doing what was intended). You are responsible for ordering and purchasing any parts needed for your project that are not already available. Electronic components are fortunately not expensive but overnight shipping can greatly add to the cost. If you plan well in advance you should not need to resort to overnight shipping.  If you want to keep your project you will need to order breadboards and any needed components to take with you. A grading rubric will be provided at a later time.

Make up of graded material

Consistent with university policies, students will be allowed to make-up material. In most circumstances, the reason for the make-up will need to be documented by a note typically from a medical doctor, an attorney, or a UF official.  Other valid reasons include religious holidays and death from family members.  Notes from family members are not acceptable. Standard illness excuses will be accepted for LabPrep assignments, but only extended illness will be accepted for homework and lab reports.

Equipment loaned

You may be loaned an equipment kit. Once all presentations are complete, you must return the loaned instrumentation and tools in the condition in which you received them. No grade will be given, potentially delaying your graduation and future plans, until you have done so. It is understood that electronic equipment can spontaneously fail and you will not be held responsible for such circumstance. If, however, it is determined  that the failure was due to misuse or neglect (e.g. you spilled your morning coffee on the powered Mk2, or you fried one of its power supplies by connection to the external supply without a fuse), you will be charged up to $200 replacement costs. Please be kind to future students taking this course and pass them the equipment in a condition as close as possible to how you received it.