Unit Outline

The unit builds on the fundamentals of analogue circuits to provide technical competence in digital electronics. The unit covers the two primary topics of digital circuit implementation and microcontroller systems. The unit prepares students to undertake future studies in Electronics and Communications Engineering. Analog electronics principles will be applied to the construction of transistor-to-transistor logic and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor logic gates and tri-state, open-collector and bus implementation and use. Students will learn to design combinational and sequential circuits using Boolean logic techniques including truth tables, algebra, simplification, proofs and Karnaugh maps. They will learn the mathematics of number systems including binary, hexadecimal, and 2's complement. Microcontrollers will be used to design and build systems including digital input/output, timers and pulse width modulation, serial communication, interrupts, analogue to digital conversion and digital to analogue conversion. Microcontrollers will be programmed using both high level and assembly languages with a focus on system performance.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Explain the construction and operation of digital electronic components.
2	Apply Boolean logic methods and number systems to the design of digital circuits and algorithms.
3	Construct digital electronic circuits.
4	Develop microprocessor solutions to meet specified requirements.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	KAA112 and KAA109
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	KNE231

Alterations as a result of student feedback

The assessment load has been reduced and classes have been restructured to include more face-to-face time.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Sequential Circuit Lab	Week 8	15 %	LO2, LO3
Assessment Task 2:	Microcontroller Lab	Week 12	15 %	LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Digital Design Portfolio	Refer to Assessment Description	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO4
Assessment Task 4:	Formal examination	Exam Period	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO4

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Sequential Circuit Lab

Task Description:

Students will design and construct a simple sequential circuit. The circuit operation will then be measured to test against predicted circuit operation. The circuit is to be designed and predictions made prior to the lab. Students will be assessed on their work during the lab class.

Task Length:

3 hour lab

Due Date:

Week 8

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Predict the performance of a digital sequential circuit before construction.	LO2
2	Explain the operation of a digital sequential circuit.	LO3
3	Compare predicted against measured performance of a digital sequential logic circuit	LO3
4	Design a sequential circuit to meet given requirements.	LO2

Assessment Task 2: Microcontroller Lab

Task Description:

Students will design, build and evaluate a simple microcontroller circuit including digital and analogue inputs and outputs. The circuit is to be designed and predictions made prior to the lab. Students will provide a post lab written informal report containing the prelab exercise, explanations of work completed in the lab and circuit performance calculations.

Task Length:

Two 3 hour labs Maximum 3 page written report.

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

15 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Write a microcontroller program to meet logical requirements.	LO4
2	Construct a microcontroller system including circuitry according to design.	LO3
3	Compare predicted against measured performance of a microcontroller circuit.	LO3
4	Write a microcontroller program to interact with the physical world with reference to datasheets.	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Digital Design Portfolio

Task Description:

Design and implementation tasks will be issued to students during tutorial sessions from week 2 to week 11 inclusive. Each week one task will be specified for inclusion in a portfolio. The portfolio will be submitted in 2 parts: Part 1 in week 6 and part 2 in week 11. The final grade will be determined based on the number of correctly completed tasks. The tasks completed as part of the portfolio will prepare students for the exam.

Task Length:

10 hours

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Analyse the behaviour of digital circuits.	LO1
2	Design combinational and sequential digital circuits using various methods and components.	LO2
3	Design microprocessor hardware and software to meet requirements.	LO4
4	Solve arithmetic problems using various number systems.	LO2
5	Analyse the performance of a digital circuit.	LO1

Assessment Task 4: Formal examination

Task Description:

Formal written exam. Students will be required to analyse, explain the operation of and solve
problems related to digital electronic circuits.

Task Length:

3 hours

Due Date:

Exam Period

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Explain the operation of microcontroller programs written in C and assembly languages.	LO4
2	Solve problems relating to binary representation of numbers.	LO2
3	Solve problems related to microcontroller hardware.	LO4
4	Design simple combinational and sequential circuits using truth tables, algebra and Karnaugh maps.	LO2
5	Explain the operation of tri-state, open-collector and open-drain circuits.	LO1

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Attainment of ILO 1 requires a cumulative achievement of at least 35% on relevant exam questions.

Attainment of ILO 2 requires 50% or greater total mark for the prelab work of laboratory 1 (sequential circuit lab).

Attainment of ILO 3 requires 50% or greater total mark on any of the laboratory classes.

Attainment of ILO 4 requires a cumulative achievement of at least 35% on relevant questions on the Exam and 50% or greater on laboratory 2 (microcontroller lab).

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.