DOCSLIB.ORG

Comparison and Evaluation of Hardware Modelling and Simulation Tools

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Comparison and Evaluation of Hardware Modelling and Simulation Tools COMPARISON AND EVALUATION OF HARDWARE MODELLING AND SIMULATION TOOLS MATTIAS KARLSSON MASTER THESIS 2011 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING COMPARISON AND EVALUATION OF HARDWARE MODELLING AND SIMULATION TOOLS MATTIAS KARLSSON This thesis work is performed at Jönköping Institute of Technology within the subject area Electrical Engineering. The work is part of the university’s master’s engineering degree. The author is responsible for the given opinions, conclusions and results. Supervisors: Ph.d. Håkan Forsberg and Professor Shashi Kumar Examinator: Professor Shashi Kumar Credit points: 30 points (D-level) Date: Archive number: Postal Address: Visiting Address: Telephone: Box 1026 Gjuterigatan 5 036-10 10 00 551 11 Jönköping Abstract Abstract Avionics Division of Saab AB develops advanced electronics that need to be robust and work in harsh environments with for example extreme temperatures and cosmic radiation without any failure. To succeed with this the electronics need to be simulated and tested. Therefore this thesis work is done to strengthen the Avionics Division’s knowledge of hardware modelling and simulation by evaluating the simulation tools LTSpice, PSpice and SystemVision, their functions and capabilities. In this thesis a survey is carried out with help of a questionnaire to study the Avionics Division’s needs for simulation. The survey is underlying an analysis of the analyses that can be performed by the simulation tools for example Sensitivity analysis, Worst Case analysis, Monte Carlo analysis and Parametric Sweep analysis. The different analyses are discussed in the thesis. The questionnaire is also underlying an analysis of the tools LTSpice, PSpice and SystemVision. The result of the analysis is summarized in Table 1. A case study of a circuit simulation in SystemVision, based on an existing circuit used by Avionics Division, is also done within this thesis work. The study is done to evaluate the tool’s usability, to see if it is easy to perform a simulation and if it is easy to find and use suitable models from the model library. The case study describes how a simulation is performed in SystemVision and how an AC analysis of a Butterworth filter is done. A stability and reliability check of the tool is performed as well as a robustness simulation. The analyses were easy to do and the overall impression is that SystemVision is reliable and user friendly structured. In order to check and compare the results of the AC analysis the same analysis is performed using LTSpice. The comparison shows that the results differ. This depending on that the models of the circuit were some what different in LTSpice and SystemVision. The final conclusion is that SystemVision would fit within Avionics Division’s workflow. Using SystemVision demands education of the engineers to secure maximum use of all the advantages of SystemVision. 1 Keywords Keywords SystemVision, Monte Carlo, VHDL-AMS, Spice, PSpice, LTSpice, modelling, simulation, AC analysis and Butterworth filter. 2 To my beloved Sofie Rasmus and Olivia Table of contents Contents 1 Introduction............................................................................... 6 1.1 BACKGROUND........................................................................................................................6 1.2 PURPOSE AND AIMS ................................................................................................................8 1.3 DELIMITS ...............................................................................................................................8 1.4 METHOD.................................................................................................................................9 1.5 OUTLINE ..............................................................................................................................10 2 Theoretical background......................................................... 12 2.1 INTRODUCTION TO SIMULATION ...........................................................................................12 2.2 ABSTRACTION LAYERS.........................................................................................................15 2.3 SPICE MODELS......................................................................................................................16 2.4 MAST..................................................................................................................................19 2.5 THE VHDL-AMS MODEL ....................................................................................................20 3 Survey....................................................................................... 23 3.1 THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE..................................................................23 3.2 TYPE OF HARDWARE DESIGNED TODAY................................................................................24 3.3 THOUGHTS ABOUT SIMULATING HARDWARE........................................................................24 3.4 COMPLEXITY AND LEVEL OF THE HARDWARE DESIGN ..........................................................26 3.5 EXPERIENCES FROM SIMULATING HARDWARE......................................................................27 3.6 ENSURING ACCURATE DATA.................................................................................................30 3.7 ENSURING ENOUGH DATA ....................................................................................................31 3.8 ENSURING ACCURATE MODELS.............................................................................................31 3.9 ENSURING THE CORRECT FORMULAE....................................................................................32 3.10 NEEDS WHEN SIMULATING THE HARDWARE .........................................................................33 3.11 HARDWARE COMPLEXITY.....................................................................................................37 3.12 OTHER AREAS OF SIMULATION .............................................................................................38 3.13 CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................................39 4 Simulation analyses ................................................................ 40 4.1 DC ANALYSIS.......................................................................................................................40 4.2 AC ANALYSIS.......................................................................................................................41 4.3 TRANSFER FUNCTION ANALYSIS...........................................................................................42 4.4 SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS ........................................................................................................43 4.5 WORST CASE ANALYSIS .......................................................................................................43 4.6 THE OPTIMIZER TOOL ...........................................................................................................43 4.7 TRANSIENT ANALYSIS ..........................................................................................................44 4.8 FOURIER ANALYSIS ..............................................................................................................47 4.9 TEMPERATURE SWEEP ..........................................................................................................47 4.10 MONTE CARLO ANALYSIS ....................................................................................................48 4.11 SMOKE ANALYSIS.................................................................................................................52 4.12 PARAMETRIC SWEEP ANALYSIS ............................................................................................52 5 Simulation tools ...................................................................... 55 5.1 SPICE....................................................................................................................................55 5.2 LTSPICE IV..........................................................................................................................58 5.3 PSPICE..................................................................................................................................65 4 Table of contents 5.4 SYSTEMVISION.....................................................................................................................70 5.5 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................77 6 A case study of SystemVision................................................ 80 6.1 THE BUTTERWORTH FILTER IN LTSPICE ..............................................................................80 6.2 THE CASE STUDY IN SYSTEMVISION.....................................................................................82 6.3 AN AC ANALYSIS OF THE BUTTERWORTH FILTER ................................................................85 6.4 STABILITY AND RELIABILITY TEST .......................................................................................86 6.5 ROBUSTNESS SIMULATION ...................................................................................................87 6.6 CONCLUSION OF THE CASE STUDY........................................................................................89 7 Conclusions and
Load more

Recommended publications
  • DC/DC CONTROLLER Selection Guide
    DC/DC CONTROLLER Selection Guide Visit analog.com 2 DC/DC Controller Contents ADI provides complete power solutions with a full lineup of power management products. This brochure shows an overview of our high performance DC/DC switching regulator controllers for applications including industrial, datacom, telecom, automotive, computing infrastructure, and consumer electronics. We make power design easier with our LTpowerCAD® and LTspice® simulation programs and our industry-leading field application engineering support. A broad selection of demonstration boards are available which includes layout and bill of material files, application notes and comprehensive technical documentation. LTpowerCAD . 3 LED Drivers . 15. LTpowerCAD Power Supply Design Tool Bidirectional . 16 LTspice . .4 . Benefits of Using LTspice SEPIC . 18 . LTspice Demo Circuits Inverter . 19 Single Output Buck . 5 Switching Surge Stoppers . 20 . VIN Up to 22 V, Down to 2.2 V. 5 VIN Up to 38 V . 6 Isolated Forward, Half-Bridge, Full-Bridge, and Push-Pull . .21 . VIN Up to 60 V . 7 VIN Up to 150 V. .8 Flyback . 22. Hybrid . 9 Multiple Topology . 23 Multiphase Single Output Buck . 10. DDR/QDR Memory Termination . 24. Multiple Output Buck . 11 . MOSFET Drivers . 25 Boost. .12 . Digital . Power System Management . 26. Buck-Boost . 13. LTpowerPlay . 27. Buck/Buck/Boost—Ideal for Automotive Start-Stop Systems. .14 . Visit analog.com 3 LTpowerCAD LTpowerCAD is an easy-to-use power supply design tool with a user-friendly and load transient performances. Once a circuit design is completed, graphical user interface and power design features. It supports many power it can be easily exported to the LTspice simulation platform.
    [Show full text]
  • Alexis Rodriguez Jr
    Alexis Rodriguez Jr. 701 SW 62nd Blvd - Apt 104 - Gainesville - FL - 32604 Cell: 305-370-8334 Email: [email protected] ​ Education: University of Florida Gainesville, FL Current M.S. Computer and Electrical Engineering University of Florida Gainesville, FL 2018 B.S. Electrical Engineering - Cum Laude Miami Dade College Miami, FL 2013 A.A. Engineering - Computer Projects: FPGA Networking Research Current Nallatech 385a Communication Research Current Glove Controlled Drone Design 2 Fall 2017 32-bit ARM Cortex (TI MSP432) used to interpret hand gestures via sensors for drone flight, transmit user intended controls to the drone via RF communication, and detect and display communication errors and react accordingly for safety 32-bit MIPS Emulated Processor Digital Design Spring 2017 Altera Cyclone-III FPGA used to emulate MIPS processor via VHDL Guitar Tuner Design 1 Spring 2017 Microchip PIC18F4620 microcontroller and discrete analog components used to determine correct input frequency via analog filtering and DSP techniques Employment: University of Florida - ARC Lab Gainesville, FL Current Research Assistant - FPGA ❖ Research systems integration of Nallatech 385a FPGA card and its components including the Intel Arria 10 FPGA, Intel’s Avalon bus, and PCIe communication via Linux ❖ Create partial reconfiguration region for Nallatech 385a for general use in research lab ❖ Research cloud and network implementations of FPGAs Intel San Jose, CA Summer 2019/2020 Programmable Solutions Group Intern ❖ Assisted with Agilex Linux driver development ❖ ITU G spec testing compliance and characterization for IEEE 1588 on Intel N3000 ❖ Developed automated tools for ITU network timestamp testing ❖ System validation of IEEE 1588 for Wireless 5G technology and communicated need and data across many teams ❖ Developed Arduino workshop for hobbyists Alexis Rodriguez Jr.
    [Show full text]
  • Experiences in Using Open Source Software for Teaching Electronic Engineering CAD
    Experiences in Using Open Source Software for Teaching Electronic Engineering CAD Dr Simon Busbridge1 & Dr Deshinder Singh Gill School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ [email protected] Abstract Embedded systems and simulation distinguish modern professional electronic engineering from that learnt at school. First year undergraduates typically have little appreciation of engineering software capabilities and file handling beyond elementary word processing. This year we expedited blended teaching through the experiential based learning process via open source engineering software. Students engaged with the entire electronic engineering product creation process from inception, performance simulation, printed circuit board design, manufacture and assembly, to cabinet design and complete finished product. Currently students learn software skills using a mixture of electronic and mechanical engineering software packages. Although these have professional capability they are not available off-campus and are sometimes surprisingly poor in simulating real world devices. In this paper we report use of LTspice, FreePCB and OpenSCAD for the learning and teaching of analogue electronics simulation and manufacture. Comparison of the software options, the type of tasks undertaken, examples of student assignments and outputs, and learning achieved are presented. Examples of assignment based learning, integration between the open source packages and difficulties encountered are discussed. Evaluation of student attitudes and responses to this method of learning and teaching are also discussed, and the educational advantages of using this approach compared to the use of commercial packages is highlighted. Introduction Most educational establishments use software for simulating or designing engineering. Most commercial packages come with an academic licence which restricts access to on-site computers.
    [Show full text]
  • EEE1002 – EEE1010 Lecture Notes
    EEE1002/EEE1010 - Electronics I Analogue Electronics Lecture Notes S. Le Goff School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Newcastle University School of EEE @ Newcastle University --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Module Organization Lecturer for Analogue Electronics: S Le Goff (module leader) Lecturer for Digital Electronics: N Coleman Analogue Electronics: 24 hours of lectures and tutorials (12 weeks 2 hours/week) Assessment for analogue electronics: Mid-semester test in November, analogue electronics only, 1 hour, 8% of the final mark. Final examination in January, analogue & digital electronics, 2 hours, 50% of the final mark. Recommended Books: Electronics – A Systems Approach, 4th Edition, by Neil Storey, Pearson Education, 2009. Analysis and Design of Analog Integrated Circuits, 5th Edition, by Paul Gray, Paul Hurst, Stephen Lewis, and Robert Meyer, John Wiley & Sons, 2012. Digital Integrated Circuits – A Design Perspective, 2th Edition, by Jan Rabaey, Ananta Chandrakasan, and Borivoje Nikolic, Pearson Education, 2003. Microelectronic Circuits and Devices, 2th Edition, by Mark Horenstein, Prentice Hall, 1996. Electronics Fundamentals – A Systems Approach, by Thomas Floyd and David Buchla, Pearson Education, 2014. Principles of Analog Electronics, by Giovanni Saggio, CRC Press (Taylor & Francis Group), 2014. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    [Show full text]
  • Asynchronous Design for Analogue Electronics
    Asynchronous Design for Analogue Electronics Alex Yakovlev Motivation: A4A scope IP core IP core conventional (big digital) (big digital) RTL synthesis ADC sensor sensor DAC analogue level shifters/ power synchronisers power components converter converter ad hoc control for analogue layer (little digital) manual design requires formalisation and design automation digital analogue time/energy A4A scope infrastructure • Analogue and digital electronics are becoming more intertwined • Analogue domain becomes more complex and itself needs digital control 2/31 Motivation: Power electronics context • Efficient implementation of power converters is paramount • Extending the battery life of mobile gadgets • Reducing the energy bill for PCs and data centres (5% and 3% of global electricity production respectively) • Need for responsive and reliable control circuitry - little digital • Millions of control decisions per second for years • An incorrect decision may permanently damage the circuit • Poor EDA support • Synthesis is optimised for data processing - big digital • Ad hoc solutions are prone to errors and cannot be verified 3/31 Basic buck converter: Schematic over-current (oc) I_max Th_pmos buck control gp_ack gp oc PMOS uv zc NMOS gn_ack gn R_load Th_nmos zero-crossing (zc) V_0 under-voltage (uv) V_ref • In the textbook buck a diode is used instead of NMOS transistor 4/31 Basic buck converter: Informal specification current PMIN NMIN PMIN NMIN PMIN I_max NMOS ON NMOS ON NMOS ON PMOS OFF PMOS OFF PMOS OFF PMOS OFF NMOS OFF PMOS ON PMOS ON
    [Show full text]
  • LT Spice – Getting Started Very Quickly – Part II Single Supply AC
    LT Spice – Getting Started Very Quickly – Part II Single Supply AC Coupled Inverting OpAmp Experimentation 1. Starting with the typical dc coupled inverting opamp circuit created earlier in Part I., we simply have to move the input voltage source to the left and insert a 1uF cap Between the voltage source a series input resistor. 2. Right click over the capacitor and type in a value of 1u for 1 micro-farad. Units relating to capacitors are p for pico, n for nano and u for micro. 3. Change the gain from -4 to -10 By increasing the feedBack resistor from 4000 ohms to 10K ohms. This gain will Be useful when we have to compute the 20*log of the voltage output later. 4. If you now run the dc sweep you will see there is no output because the input is being blocked (dc value) to the series input resistor. Instead of a dc sweep we now need to chance the simulation to AC Analysis. First use the Scissor icon and delete the .dc V3 1.25 2.05 0.1 LT Spice directive on the breadboard. Then go into Simulation > Edit Simulation Cmd and remove the spice directive at the Bottom of the DC Sweep taB. This removes the DC Sweep simulation which is no longer meaningful since we now have an AC coupled circuit. 5. Next select the AC Analysis tab. Select a linear sweep from 20 to 20K Hz By typing 20 in the Start Frequency: field & 20k in Stop Frequency: field. As in resistive input k = kilo and MEG = mega.
    [Show full text]
  • RF Electronics Design and Simulation.Pdf
    Design and Simulation K1=0.975131011283515 Lr1=38.4514647453448 S12=0.5008 K2=1.00596548213902 L11=6.77604174321048 S23=0.9685 K3=1.00219893760926 L22=Lr1-L11-W50 L2=K2*Lr1 S34=0.9875 K4=0.994348146551798 Lr4=K1*Lr1 L3=K3*Lr1 S45=0.5303 K5=1.00188484397154 L41=6.61424287231546 L4=K4*Lr1 L42=Lr4-L41-W50 L5=K5*Lr1 MCURVE MCURVE ID=TL28 MCURVE ID=TL8 W=Wr mm MCFIL MCFIL ID=TL3 W=Wr mm ANG=180 Deg ID=TL1 ID=TL9 W=Wr mm ANG=180 Deg R=4 mm W=Wr mm W=Wr mm ANG=180 Deg R=4 mm S=S12 mm S=S23 mm R=4 mm L=L2 mm L=L3 mm MLIN MCFIL ID=TL26 ID=TL2 MLIN W=Wr mm W=Wr mm L=L41 mm ID=TL24 S=S45 mm W=Wr mm L=L5 mm MLIN L=L11 mm ID=TL6 W=W50 mm 2 L=10 mm MLIN MTEEX$ 3 ID=TL7 ID=MT1 PORT W=W50 mm 1 MCFIL 1 PORT P=1 L=10 mm ID=TL4 MTEEX$ P=2 Z=50 Ohm W=Wr mm ID=MT4 Z=50 Ohm 3 S=S34 mm L=L4 mm 2 MCURVE MCURVE MLEF ID=TL17 ID=TL5 ID=TL27 W=Wr mm W=Wr mm W=Wr mm ANG=180 Deg ANG=180 Deg L=L42 mm R=4 mm R=4 mm MLEF ID=TL25 W=Wr mm L=L22 mm Cornelis J. Kikkert RF Electronics Design and Simulation Publisher: James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, Australia, 4811.
    [Show full text]
  • Analog Electronics Ii B.Tech I Semester for Eee
    ANALOG ELECTRONICS II B.TECH I SEMESTER FOR EEE DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRONICS & COMMUNICATION ENGINEERING MALLA REDDY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY Autonomous Institution – UGC, Govt. of India (Affiliated to JNTU, Hyderabad, Approved by AICTE - Accredited by NBA & NAAC – ‘A’ Grade - ISO 9001:2008 Certified) Maisammaguda, Dhulapally (Post Via Hakimpet), Secunderabad – 500100 PREPARED BY Dr.S.SRINIVASA RAO, Mr K.MALLIKARJUNA LINGAM, Mr R.CHINNA RAO, Mr E.MAHENDAR REDDY Mr V SHIVA RAJKUMAR, MR KLN PRASAD, MR M ANANTHA GUPTHA, (R18A0401) ANALOG ELECTRONICS OBJECTIVES This is a fundamental course, basic knowledge of which is required by all the circuit branch engineers .this course focuses: 1. To familiarize the student with the principal of operation, analysis and design of junction diode .BJT and FET transistors and amplifier circuits. 2. To understand diode as a rectifier. 3. To study basic principal of filter of circuits and various types UNIT-I P-N Junction diode: Qualitative Theory of P-N Junction, P-N Junction as a diode , diode equation , volt- amper characteristics temperature dependence of V-I characteristic , ideal versus practical –resistance levels( static and dynamic), transition and diffusion capacitances, diode equivalent circuits, load line analysis ,breakdown mechanisms in semiconductor diodes , zener diode characteristics. Special purpose electronic devices: Principal of operation and Characteristics of Tunnel Diode with the help of energy band diagrams, Varactar Diode, SCR and photo diode UNIT-II RECTIFIERS, FILTERS: P-N Junction as a rectifier ,Half wave rectifier, , full wave rectifier, Bridge rectifier , Harmonic components in a rectifier circuit, Inductor filter, Capacitor filter, L- section filter, - section filter and comparison of various filter circuits, Voltage regulation using zener diode.
    [Show full text]
  • Printed Circuit Board Design
    Printed Circuit Board Design ECE 3400 [email protected] Agenda • What is a PCB? Should I use a PCB? • Design example • Component selection • Schematic design • Layout basics • Layout Considerations • Trace Width, Pours, Thermals • Grounding • Decoupling • High-Frequency considerations • 3D Modelling • Testing • Mistakes • Other • Eagle demo if time What is a PCB? • Interleaved layers of copper and insulator • Number of layers = number of copper layers Useful Terms TRACE Trace VIA Copper path (equivalent of wire) Via Hole in board with connection between layers Useful Terms Pad Exposed copper for component placement Package SMD Package Pads Casing for a component with metal leads coming out. Usually black plastic. Thru-Hole Surface Mount (SMT/SMD) Components that can be soldered onto pads, not through-holes PCB Tradeoffs Pros Cons • Permanence/Reliability • Permanence • Space-Savings • Lead-Time • Simple to Manufacture • Isolation • Immune to movement • High-Frequency Effects • Better grounding • Testability • Thermal Management PCB Manufacturing • Etching – Primarily used in industry, best tolerances • Milling – Drill/Cut undesired copper • Printing – Specialized conductive nano-inks • Direct Plating • Direct Cutting Design Process 1) Specifications 2) Topology & Component Selection 3) Schematic 4) Simulation 5) Layout 6) Print 1:1 on paper and check 7) Export Gerbers and Order 8) Solder 9) Testing/Verification 10) Use Design Example – IR Hat 1) Specifications What should it do? How well? In what conditions? Given: Make a PCB which emits
    [Show full text]
  • Unit 57: Principles and Applications of Analogue Electronics
    Unit 57: Principles and Applications of Analogue Electronics Unit code: K/600/6744 QCF Level 3: BTEC Nationals Credit value: 10 Guided learning hours: 60 Aim and purpose This unit will provide learners with an understanding of analogue electronics and the skills needed to design, test and build analogue circuits. Unit introduction Although digital circuits have become predominant in electronics, most of the fundamental components in a digital system, particularly the transistor, are based on analogue devices. Advances in technology mean that, as transistors get smaller, it becomes more important when designing digital circuits to account for effects usually present in analogue circuits. This unit will give learners an understanding of the key principles and function of analogue electronics. Analogue electronics are still widely used in radio and audio equipment and in many applications where signals are derived from analogue sensors and transducers prior to conversion to digital signals for subsequent storage and processing. This unit will introduce learners to the basic analogue principles used in electronics, such as gain, loss and noise and the principles of a range of classes of amplifier. The unit will also cover the operation of analogue electronic circuit systems and their components, such as integrated circuits (ICs) and the sensors required in analogue (and some digital) circuits. Learners will be able to apply their understanding of principles and operation in the design and testing of analogue electronic circuits for specified functions using electronic computer-based methods. Finally, learners will build and test circuits such as a filter, amplifier, oscillator, transmitter/receiver, power control, or circuits/systems with telecommunication applications.
    [Show full text]
  • Water Aliasing
    Water Aliasing Design Review TA: Luke Wendt ECE 445 March 10, 2017 Project Contributors: Atreyee Roy Siddharth Sharma 1 Table of Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................... 3 ​ 1.1 Objective ........................................................................................................ 3 1.2 Background .................................................................................................... 3 1.3 High Level Requirements .............................................................................. 3 2. Design ............................................................................................................................. 4 ​ 2.1 Block Diagram ................................................................................................ 4 2.2 Physical Design ............................................................................................... 6 2.3 Block Design ................................................................................................... 7 2.3.1 Lighting Unit ....................................................................................... 7 2.3.2 User Interface ...................................................................................... 13 2.3.3 Water Unit ........................................................................................... 14 2.3 Risk Analysis ..................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • GCSE Electronics
    Systems Control in Engineering Electronic Principles Candidate Support Booklet SARCHS – SYSTEMS CONTROL IN ENGINEERING SUPPORT BOOKLET _________________________________________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION This support booklet is written for candidates preparing for the examination in Systems Control in Engineering (Electronics) and should be used alongside the specification criteria. It is not intended to be a rigorous academic text, but rather that it should provide candidates with a working knowledge of the electronics covered by this subject specification. In the examinations, candidates will be expected to draw appropriate circuit diagrams and perform calculations using equations. It is essential that candidates are able to identify units of measure for Voltage (Volts), Resistance (Ohms) and Current (Amps) with the additional expectation that values are often required to be converted from Mega (x10 6), Kilo (x10 3), milli ( x10 -3), micro (x10 -6) and nano (x 10 -9) in order to multiply them together. Time is always measured in seconds (s) Capacitance is measured in Farads, a typical capacitor has a value in micro farads (x10 -6) Prototyping of circuits can be completed using circuit simulation (Circuit Wizard), Breadboarding and finally a dedicated PCB can be designed and manufactured. It is essential that candidates have a good knowledge of components and circuits. This includes common Integrated circuits (I.C’s) and microcontrollers (PIC /GENIE / ARDUINO). Programming of microcontrollers can be achieved by using the flowchart method, basic or Arduino depending on the type. It is important that candidates are able to communicate the correct terminology for electronic components. Fault finding, testing and combining of circuits to achieve a solution are part of the learning and must be seen as times when both success and failure must be seen as part of the learning process.
    [Show full text]