Description:

Want to learn electronics, but don't know where to start?  This class will give you a working understanding of transistors (the core building block of all modern electronics) by starting with core physical principles like voltage, current, and charge, and ending with building your own amplifiers and simple digital logic circuits.

Week 1: The Physics of Electronics - voltage, current, and the relation between them

Week 2: Intro to Transistors - a quick introduction to the fundamental building block of all modern electronics

Week 3: Analog Transistor Level Design - how to make simple audio amplifiers

Week 4: Digital Transistor Level Design - how to make digital logic elements: boolean gates, memory, and a brief introduction to how a modern computer works

Class Goals:

Students will get a working understanding of voltage, current, charge, impedance analysis, and transistors.  They'll also learn how to use breadboards to prototype simple transistor level circuits, and how to use common tools like oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, and signal generators to test their circuits.

Prerequisites:

None.

Materials:

All materials will be provided by the instructor, and are included in the class fees.

Instructor Biography:

Avinash Uttamchandani is an electrical and computer engineer. After getting his degree from Olin College, he worked in industry as an integrated circuit design verification engineer before switching to education in his current position as a preceptor in design instruction at Harvard's School for Engineering and Applied Science. Currently responsible for teaching the lab component to the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Science's computer hardware course.