Electronic Engineering and Computer Systems with Foundation Year BEng(Hons)

This may be your first introduction to some basic engineering skills. You will gain an appreciation of basic electronics and measurement and have the opportunity to build your skills in practical application of engineering skills through guided investigation and discovery learning. Aspects of computer aided design, civil, mechanical and electrical and electronic engineering are introduced, including digital electronics, computer interfacing, control, design, constructions, manufacture and mechanical testing.

In this module you explore and practice using the necessary mathematical tools and principles required for your first-year studies. You will begin with some basics in arithmetic, algebra, and trigonometry these will be followed rapidly by the more advanced areas of sets, matrices, vectors and calculus.

In this module you will begin to understand the physical principles that govern the operation of our world that will underpin your future studies of mechanical, civil and electrical engineering. You will also gain the necessary experimental and analytical skills you will need to progress into your choice of Engineering degree.

In this module, you will be introduced to the fabrication, design and testing of electronic circuits and circuit boards. You will cover how to interpret circuit diagrams, build physical prototypes and use laboratory instruments to test the circuits. You will also learn interpretation of datasheets, identification of maximum ratings, test conditions and performance limits. You will work in a group to design a working prototype from your own project ideas so that you experience all the stages involved in producing a working electronic product.

In this key first year module you will gain fundamental knowledge and practical techniques in Engineering Mathematics to deal with analytical modules in the subsequent years of your course. Amongst the subjects you will study will be: functions, linear mathematics, calculus and numerical techniques to solve real world engineering problems.

The Professional Development module will introduce you to the business dimension of engineering. Emphasis will be placed upon developing an appreciation of the role of the engineer/ technologist in terms of their responsibilities, ethical behaviour and contribution to the business team. You will acquire general transferable skills related to your study techniques, communication (including report writing and oral presentations), CV preparation and planning for your career. The module integrates the development of personal and practical skills in the context of problem based learning (PBL) and laboratory-based activities.

The module will introduce you to electromagnetic field theory and help you apply it to various circuit elements and arrangements, and the understanding of the operating principles of transformers and basic electric machines. You will be introduced to a range of d.c. circuit theorems and apply these theorems to the solution of circuits. The complex operator will be explained and used to study reactance, impedance and phase shifts via the solution of a.c. circuits. Finally, you will investigate the step response of simple RC and RL circuits.

Digital technology has progressed rapidly over the years from vacuum-tubes circuits to discrete transistors to complex integrated circuits. In this module, you will be introduced to digital electronics concepts, components and basic systems. You will learn about digital combinational and sequential logic elements and their applications. You will also be introduced to electronic devices, systems, and applications from analogue perspective.

The module will equip you with the qualities and transferable skills necessary to analyse continuous and discrete-time signals and systems in the time and frequency domain for a wide range of industrial applications. You will be introduced to analyses that will be performed using continuous/digital control theories and simulation packages where you will have the opportunity to relate theoretical mathematical approaches with simulated results. There will be real world examples where you will be able to relate your current knowledge with relevant mathematical relations. You will then be introduced to various strategies that are used to control an output from a system.

This module will provide you with an understanding of the hardware and software aspects of microcontroller interfacing and provide you with design skills to implement embedded systems using microcontrollers. You will initially undertake a primer in embedded C before developing your programming skills through a range of practical exercises involving a microcontroller. This will culminate in you undertaking a project where you will develop a ‘real-world’ embedded system which must adhere to a pre-determined specification.

In this module, you will be introduced to advanced analogue and digital devices, circuits, systems and applications. You will learn how to design and develop a circuit using bipolar junction transistor (BJT). You will also study the Sallen and Key filters and develop a higher order active filter in the laboratory. The emphasis is on the analysis and design of various sub-systems and circuits. Furthermore, in the later part of the course you will learn about digital design of the circuit using combinational logic structures.

In this module you will be provided with greater understanding of electric and magnetic forces and fields and their unification in Maxwell’s equations. You will be able to carry out vector analysis and the mathematical descriptions of the fields, an examination of the basic laws governing the generation of fields, and a study of interactions with dielectric and magnetic materials. Electromagnetic propagation is fundamental to communications and after this module you will be familiar with both transmission line and free-space propagation. You will also cover reactive circuits and their transfer functions, frequency and phase response, Bode equations and their plots.

In this module you will be introduced to a range of communications concepts and principles and develop a knowledge of communication systems. You will have a thorough introduction to analogue and pulse modulation techniques, noise in systems, and transmission line theory sufficient to support future study. You will develop skills in relevant analytical, practical and design methods and you will be introduced to a range of test equipment used in communications.

The module combines the theory of signal processing and analysis of discrete time systems, with practical aspects of digital signal processing (DSP) applied to the design of digital filters. We will focus on signal processing operations and analysis in time and frequency domain and digital filter (FIR and IIR) design and simulation using MATLAB. You’ll be supported in implementing your digital filter design using DSP software and hardware development systems. A range of DSP design case studies (for example audio filters and two-dimensional filters for image processing), will be used to illustrate typical DSP applications through practical laboratory work.

In this module you will be introduced to Computer Cluster, Cloud and Grid technologies and applications. We will focus on the fundamental components of Cluster environments, such as Commodity Components for Clusters, Network Services/Communication software, Cluster Middleware, Resource management, and Parallel Programming Environments. You will study the components of Grid environments, such as Authentication, Authorization, Resource access, and Resource discovery. The hands-on laboratory exercises will provide the necessary practical experience with Cluster and Grid middleware software required to construct Cluster and Grid applications.

Digital System Integration is becoming increasingly important in modern electronics. In this module, you will be introduced to system design, circuit design, modelling, layout, and fabrication techniques for CMOS and Bipolar (minimal) integrated circuits. You will investigate various stages of design: from integration, transistor, and circuit to system; decomposition from Hardware Description Language (HDL) whilst emphasising the Register Transfer Level RTL/gate level decisions. You will also learn about the design trade-offs required to achieve an optimum design solution.

Analogue circuit and system design today is more essential than ever before. With the growth of digital systems, wireless communications, complex industrial and automotive systems, designers are being challenged to develop sophisticated analogue solutions. In this module, you will be introduced to both discrete and integrated analogue circuit design and analysis. You will investigate module in-depth application examples to gain insight into analogue circuit design and application solutions that you can apply in today’s demanding designs.