Mechatronics and Measurements Laboratory ME/EE 316

a syllabus

Course description

The laboratory provides hands-on experience working with various types of instrumentation and electrical components. Topics include DC and AC circuits, electronic filters, power supplies, function generators, microprocessor boards, analog and digital signals, sensors, Wheatstone bridges, AC-to-DC power conversion, real-time measurement of time response, LabVIEW programming, and motors. Concurrent/prerequisite enrollment with ME 345.

General information

Instructor: Alec Dryden
Office Hours (Panowicz 110): TTh 11-1
Classroom location: Panowicz 107
Times: T 2–4:50 (A1), Th 1–3:50 (B1), Th 4–6:50 (C1)
Moodle: moodle.stmartin.edu

secrets

Laboratory manual

The lab manual can be found here. Do not print it all at once, since the lab exercises are still evolving and being updated.

Schedule

The following schedule is tentative.

week	topics introduced
	Syllabus and forming groups
	Lab 01: introduction, report writing, equipment
	Lab 02: voltage, current, and resistance measurements; function generators; multimeters; oscilloscopes
	no lab
	Lab 03: RC circuit response
	Lab 04: RLC circuit response
	no lab
	Lab 05: AC to DC conversion diode full wave bridge rectifier
	Lab 06: 555 timer and soldering
	no lab
	Lab 07: thermal response
	no lab
	no lab (Thanksgiving)
	Lab 08: brushed DC motors
	no lab (study week)
	finals week, no lab, last report due Wed

Resources

Class resources will be posted here throughout the semester.

Some texts you may find useful throughout the course:

The Art of Electronics, 3rd edition, Horowitz and Hill
All About Circuits Online Textbook

Some writing resources:

Center for Student Learning, Writing and Advising
A good resource for academic writing: OWL: Purdue Online Writing Lab
General rules for writing well: The Elements of Style

Laboratory policies

A laboratory report will be due the day before the next laboratory exercise. These laboratories will be submitted via Moodle and must be formatted with the LaTeX template provided on Overleaf here (select "Clone this project" to get started). Overleaf allows you and your group to collaborate on the report. Review the LaTeX tutorial in the lab manual for more details.

Laboratory procedures should be performed in the assigned groups, and these groups should submit a single report. The report must be the product of every member of the group, and there must be a section of the report that describes each team member's contribution.

Grading policies

Total grades in the course may be curved, but individual laboratory reports will not be. Grades will be available on moodle throughout the semester.

Laboratory reports: 100%

secrets

The laboratory report grade will be based on laboratory exercise execution, theoretical analysis, presentation of data and analysis, and writing. The following breakdown is used.

Lab exercise execution (30%)

Overall quality of the execution of the laboratory exercise is considered. Are your results reasonable? Did you describe the proper steps? Do you demonstrate an understanding of the experiment and results?

Theoretical analysis (30%)

Also considered is a theoretical analysis to predict experimental results. This should be performed in virtually all lab exercises. Do you thoroughly describe your analysis? Are there enough equations included to follow your reasoning? Are your predictions correct?

Presentation (10%)

Another consideration is the quality of your overall presentation in the report. This includes your figures (e.g. good scaling of axes, size, clarity, etc.), captions (e.g. can a table or figure be understood without reading the body of the text?), equations (e.g. are they nicely formatted?), etc.

Writing (30%)

A significant portion of your grade depends on writing quality. This includes overall narrative flow of the document, grammar, clarity, and style. This is taken very seriously because it doesn't matter how great your design, analysis, or experiment is—if you can't communicate your results effectively, nobody cares.

Potential grade boost

The weight of your grade depending on report writing is significant. I strongly encourage you to go to the Writing Center early-on to get help with this. I will also be available for help during office hours.

I recognize that, for many students, writing is a significant challenge. In order to foster the development of your writing skills, for each appointment (up to two) with a Peer Reader in the Writing Center, your grade on the relevant report can increase by as much as 10 percentage points. That is, up to 20 of the total 30 percentage points on each assignment can be granted by thorough engagement with Peer Readers on two occasions for the relevant lab report. (Note that the 10 points is not guaranteed—your feedback from the Peer Reader must demonstrate thorough engagement.) In this way, you get credit for working hard to improve your writing.

A note on Peer Reader visits: exactly two group members must go to each session. You must rotate through each member of your group, equally, to get credit. (An audit will be performed at the end of the term, so even if you have received credit, it can be taken away if members do not rotate.)

Slack

Everyone is required to join the messaging service called "Slack." We'll use it to communicate with each other during the semester. The Slack team you need to join is called meee316. That's a signup link. Be sure to join the channels #labs and #latex.

Academic integrity policy

Cheating or plagiarism of any kind is not tolerated and will result in a failing grade (“F”) in the course. I take this very seriously. Engineering is an academic and professional discipline that requires integrity. I expect students to consider their integrity of conduct to be their highest consideration with regard to the course material.

What is academic integrity? Saint Martin's University is a community of faculty, students and staff engaged in the exchange of ideas in the ongoing pursuit of academic excellence. Essential to our mission is a focused commitment to scholarly values and intellectual integrity, and a respect for the ideas, beliefs and work of others. This commitment extends to all aspects of academic performance. All members are expected to abide by ethical standards both in their conduct and their exercise of responsibility to themselves and toward other members of the community. As an expression of our shared belief in the Benedictine tradition, we support the intellectual, social, emotional, physical and spiritual nurturing of students.

What is academic dishonesty? Saint Martin's University defines academic dishonesty as violating the academic integrity of an assignment, test and/or evaluation of any coursework. This dishonest practice occurs when you seek to gain for yourself or another an academic advantage by deception or other dishonest means. You have a responsibility to understand the requirements that apply to particular assessments and to be aware of acceptable academic practice regarding the use of material prepared by others. Therefore, it is your responsibility to be familiar with the policies surrounding academic dishonesty as these may differ from other institutions.

Acceptable use of AI in coursework

Any use of technology that misleads a reviewer in assessing the student's mastery of a specific set of skills or knowledge is a type of intellectual dishonesty, that is, a type of cheating. Students who are unsure about the appropriateness of using an artificial intelligence tool (or “AI”) should check with the instructor before using it. This includes the use of tools that generate text, images, video, code, and other works. If you are permitted by your instructor to use one or more AI tools in producing your work, you should disclose the use of that tool. You should say which tool you used and how you used it. Then if you use specific AI generated content (text, images, videos, audio, code, and so on) you should cite it in the style (APA, MLA, and so on) specified by your instructor.

Access and accommodations

Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Support Services (DSS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DSS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but are not limited to mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DSS at 360-438-4580 or dss.testing@stmartin.edu or smu.dss@stmartin.edu. DSS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DSS. It is the policy and practice of the Saint Martin's University to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

Sexual misconduct/sexual harassment reporting

Saint Martin's University is committed to providing an environment free from sex discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence. There are Title IX/sexual harassment posters around campus that include the contact information for confidential reporting and formal reporting. Confidential reporting is where you can talk about incidents of sexual harassment and gender-based crimes including sexual assault, stalking, and domestic/relationship violence. This confidential resource can help you without having to report your situation to the formal reporting process through the Dean of Students – Ms. Melanie Richardson, Associate VP of Human Resources – Ms. Cynthia Johnson, Public Safety – Ms. Sharon Schnebly, or the Office of the Provost – Dr. Tanya Smith-Brice, unless you request that they make a report. Please be aware that, in compliance with Title IX and under the Saint Martin's University policies, educators must report incidents of sexual harassment and gender-based crimes including sexual assault, stalking, and domestic/relationship violence. If you disclose any of these situations in class, on papers, or to me personally, I am required to report it.

University sanctioned activities

If you are absent from class due to university-sanctioned activities, such as sports, it is your responsibility to request that the absence be excused; otherwise, the absence will be recorded as unexcused. Absent students are responsible for catching up with the class, and if any assignments are due on the day of the absence, it is your responsibility to turn in the assignments on time (prior to class). Assignments may be submitted as an attachment to email.

Counseling and Wellness Center

There may be times, as a college student, when personal stressors interfere with your academic performance and your daily life. The Counseling and Wellness Center supports students by addressing mental and emotional well-being with FREE and confidential services. To schedule an appointment, call 360-412-6123 or email counselingcwc@stmartin.edu or stop by the CWC (1st floor St. Raphael Center).

If you would rather not go to the CWC or need support in the evenings and weekends, please consider using the TimelyCare app (timelycare.com/smusaints) to speak with a mental health provider, free, 24/7, from your phone or computer.

Religious Accommodation

Saint Martin's University, in honor of the sacredness of the individual, and being deeply rooted in the Catholic Benedictine tradition of higher education, values the many religious and spiritual practices of our campus community. Saint Martin's University supports our students in their ongoing journey of becoming. In compliance with Washington State Law RCW 28B.137.010, Saint Martin's University reasonably accommodates students for reasons of religious observances.

Center for Student Success

The Center for Student Success offers free academic services for all Saint Martin's students. The Center provides subject-area peer tutoring in science, technology, nursing, engineering, math, business, accounting, economics, world languages and other subjects. At the Writing Center, students meet with writing tutors to discuss their academic, personal, and professional writing. The Advising Center works with students on academic advising, connecting with campus support resources, transition and self-exploration guidance, personalized academic improvement plans, learning workshops, and support for changing majors. Disability Support Services is also located in the Center for any student with a disability who needs accommodations. For more information on the Center for Student Success, or to sign up for a tutoring, advising, or DSS meeting, see the website: stmartin.libcal.com/appointments.

Correlation of course & program outcomes

In keeping with the standards of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, each course is evaluated in terms of its desired outcomes and how these support the desired program outcomes. The following sections document the evaluation of this course.

Desired course outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the following course outcomes are desired:

students will have been introduced to several electronics components including resistors, capacitors, and inductors;
students will have learned how to use instrumentation such as function generators, oscilloscopes, multimeters, and breadboards;
students will be able to build basic circuits and probe them using various electrical instrumentation;
students will be able to write a technical report on their laboratory procedures;
students will be able to use various measurement devices, such as calipers, micrometers, and strain gauges;
students will be able to use National Instruments myRIO devices to obtain data from sensor inputs;
students will be able to process, plot, and explain data;

Desired program outcomes

The desired program outcomes are that mechanical engineering graduates have:

an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering;
an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data;
an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs;
an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams;
an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems;
an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility;
an ability to communicate effectively;
the broad education necessary to understanding the impact of engineering solutions in a global and social context;
a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning;
a knowledge of contemporary issues; and
an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice

Correlation of outcomes

The following table correlates the desired course outcomes with the desired program outcomes they support.

		desired program outcomes
		A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	I	J	K
desired course outcomes	1	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	‌	‌	‌	‌	✔	✔
		✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	‌	‌	‌	‌	✔	✔
		✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	‌	‌	‌	‌	✔	✔
		✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	‌	✔	‌	‌	✔	✔
		✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	‌	‌	‌	‌	✔	✔
		✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	‌	‌	‌	‌	✔	✔
		✔	✔	✔	✔	✔	‌	‌	‌	‌	✔	✔