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011b_MidtermAssignment_F19

The ECE 662 Midterm Exam requires students to individually demonstrate and document an FM transmitter built from previous projects, with a demonstration due by November 5 and documentation by November 6. The transmitter must meet specific technical specifications, including output power, harmonic suppression, and frequency response, and the documentation should be a service manual detailing the transmitter's operation and circuit design. Grading will be based on the circuit's performance and the quality of the service manual, emphasizing the importance of clear and concise writing.

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2 views

011b_MidtermAssignment_F19

The ECE 662 Midterm Exam requires students to individually demonstrate and document an FM transmitter built from previous projects, with a demonstration due by November 5 and documentation by November 6. The transmitter must meet specific technical specifications, including output power, harmonic suppression, and frequency response, and the documentation should be a service manual detailing the transmitter's operation and circuit design. Grading will be based on the circuit's performance and the quality of the service manual, emphasizing the importance of clear and concise writing.

Uploaded by

geminisjm
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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ECE 662 Midterm Exam

Fall 2019

( Individually done - NOT a team assignment )

Your Midterm-Exam will consist of demonstrating and documenting an FM broadcast band


transmitter built from projects 1, and 2 circuits. Due dates are listed below.

Demonstration On or before Tuesday, 11/5


Documentation Wednesday, Wednesday 11/6

Transmitter Construction
An FM transmitter can be built by doing some fairly simple additions to your project 2 circuit and then
combining it with your project 1 bandpass amplifier. You must add a microphone to your project 2 board
as well as a data input, and design associated coupling/attenuator circuits. Then connect the boards
together. See below for details on transmitter specifications so you design these needed circuits correctly.
Once you have added your microphone and data input and connected the boards, check the operation using
the spectrum analyzer and FM receiver. Then signup for a demo time and writeup your report.

Specifications and Demonstration


Demonstrating your transmitter will consist of actual "on-the-air" tests showing that you can transmit analog
audio signals (inclucing speech) and FSK data (from a provided Arduino-based packet generator) to a nearby
portable FM radio. In the demonstration, you must show that you meet the following specifications:

 Output power of  4 dBm into 50 Ohms at 98 MHz,


 Harmonic suppression of at least 40 dB when operating at 98 MHz,
 Tuning range of at least 77 MHz to 98 MHz (To to avoid violating FCC rules, do not transmit on-the-air
below 88 MHz (or above 108 MHz), and if you do hook up an antenna, use a 50dB attenuator !)
 Onboard microphone with good volume and fidelity when listened to on an FM radio receiver (not
over-modulated) Leave the leads on the mic a little long so you can clip a signal-gen to them (see below).
 Deviation of +/- 75 kHz for audio input level of 100 mVpp from function generator connected across your
microphone to over-ride it. 1
 Audio frequency response of 20 Hz to 15 kHz (+0, -3 dB) as measured by checking the frequency deviation at
these audio frequencies when driven from the audio function generator. 1
 Deviation of +/- 75 kHz when connected to the Arduino board generated 1 kbps PRBS sequence (5V logic).
 Good data waveform as observed on the new Spectrum Analyzer’s audio-out headphone jack.

Test your transmitter early to see if it meets these requirements.


If needed, modify or fix it before the demo !

1
Frequency deviation may be estimated from the spectrum width using Carson’s rule:
Bandwidth = 2f pk  f mod , where f pk is the peak frequency deviation and fmod is the frequency of the modulating sinusoid.
Documentation
Pay close attention to the instructions and assumed audience specified below !!

Your documentation should consist of a type-written “Service Manual” (approximately 4 to 6 pages


including diagrams and tables) describing the operation of your transmitter and the circuits from which it is
built. Your figures can be neatly hand-drawn if you do not have access to an efficient drawing program.
Don’t show sources and other things used to simulate. Document ONLY your actual circuit
elements/connections.

Organize your report in the following order :


 Cover page with your product name and your name (plus an optional “company name” :-)
 Table of Contents
 Section 1: Block diagram (moderately detailed) and associated description of transmitter. (1 page)
 Section 2: Specifications (see above, but give values your product would actually meet in production)
 Section 3: Schematic diagram (1 page) and brief circuit descriptions (1 to 2 pages - see below)

Audience

You are writing a Service Manual, NOT a project report. It should be written assuming it will be read by a technician
trying to understand and/or repair your circuit. You should NOT mention or assume the reader knows ANYTHING
about “class projects”, directly or indirectly.

The documentation should be written at a level that a technician familiar with basic electronics (at an undergraduate
Electronics-2 (ECE526) level), but unfamiliar with RF circuits or FM transmitters could use it to spin-up on and
troubleshoot if it were to develop problems after manufacture and sale. To help the technician out, your block-diagram
should show major functions/parts as blocks (core oscillator, FM modulation circuitry, regulator, amplifier, bandpass
filter circuits, etc.), and the signal levels/frequencies present at each point. It should be followed by supporting text
(e.g. ½ to 1 page) that describes the blocks, what each does.

Next, you should include a complete schematic (1 page) with component labels and part values shown, together with
supporting text (1 - 2 pages). You may partition this into the individual “assemblies” (your boards), but a good
schematic would be one that fits nicely and neatly on a single page. In addition to reference designators, values, and
part numbers, show key DC bias voltages on the schematic to help out the service personnel with debugging. Your
narrative should explain how the circuit works and what signal frequencies and signal levels are expected at various
nodes. This should be written in enough detail that the technician could make measurements at the various points in the
circuit and track down a problem if it is broken. Refer to components by their reference designator when describing
circuits. For example: “the signal at the collector of Q2 is fed back to the emitter through voltage divider C6, C7 to
create oscillation ...”. If you are unfamiliar with this style, refer to the examples in the Comm lab.

Use of equations should be minimal or non-existent! The goal in the circuit description is to explain the circuit's
operation, not the design procedure. For example, explain in words how/why the oscillator produces a sinusoidal
output and what determines its frequency - referring to circuit elements by reference designators as you talk the reader
through this. How is the circuit biased (by what components) ? How is the frequency deviation produced and
controlled to the correct amount? How does the amplifier increase the output power? Why is impedance matching
used at the amplifier input/output (referencing the components involved)? What does the harmonic attenuation? What
factors are important in the physical circuit construction and why? Etc...
You must show that you understand the system and circuit operation in sufficient detail that you can impart this
knowledge to another individual.
Grading
Your Midterm grade will be based on the correct operation of your circuit (10%) and on the quality of your
Service Manual (10%).

PLEASE NOTE: Writing is hard, but incredibly important. We all need practice and I grade the writing in
the midterm as if I am considering hiring a person for a job. I.e. It must be responsive to the assignment and
read well, while being concise (in addition to being technically correct) to get a good grade.

IMPORTANT:

Do your write-up with enough time left to review, proof-read, and revise it after stepping away
from it for a day or so. This is the only way to create a good document.

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