Universities around the world are rethinking their engineering curriculum, especially when it comes to teaching analog concepts. The days of focusing primarily on analog circuit design, often perceived as mundane and tedious by students, are giving way to a hands-on, systems approach where students can create practical applications to ignite their curiosity.
Such is the case in India, where JNTU Anantapur has revised its undergraduate curriculum to reflect the latest industry Maker trends. The Electronics and Communication Engineering (ECE) department has adopted a systems approach for two of its undergraduate courses — Linear Integrated Circuits and Introduction to Microcontrollers — with the lab experiments based on TI technology.
Students from 118 colleges affiliated with JNTU Anantapur will use the Analog Systems Lab Kit (ASLK) PRO and an ultra-low-power MSP430 LaunchPad to perform a wide variety of lab experiments and to carry out mini projects in a variety of application areas, such as medical electronics, smart metering and more.
Beyond linear thinking
In the Linear Integrated Circuits course, JNTU Anantapur has adopted the ASLK PRO to introduce students to analog systems in an engaging way. To aid professors in creating hands-on labs, the kit also includes a manual which features 14 analog systems experiments. The kit features general-purpose operational amplifiers (TL082) and wide-band precision analog multipliers (MPY634) which act as building blocks of a variety of analog systems such as Phase Locked Loop (PLL), Automatic Gain Control (AGC), Self-Tuned Filters widely used in communication applications. In addition, ASLK PRO includes 12-bit parallel-input multiplying digital-to-analog converters (DAC7821), along with a wide-input non-synchronous buck-type DC/DC controller (TPS40200) and a low dropout regulator (TPS7250).
For use in its Introduction to Microcontrollers (MCUs) course, the university has adopted TI’s MSP430 MCU. The ultra-low-power MSP430 MCUs are RISC-based, mixed-signal processors that include smart analog and digital peripherals and offer a number of additional options such as low-power embedded RF and security such as AES encryption for a wide range of low-power and portable applications.
TI’s MCU LaunchPad evaluation kits have become popular with both students and Makers, thanks to a variety of low-cost options and BoosterPack plug-in modules. Scalable software tools also provide multiple points of entry for programmability.
Teaching the teachers
To ensure that students are able to get the most out of TI hardware and hands-on experiments, JNTU Anantapur also celebrated the opening of its TI Center of Excellence (COE) on March 2, 2015. The facility is designed to be conducive to a systems-focused teaching approach.
Professor Lal Kishore, Vice Chancellor, JNTU Anantapur inaugurating the Center of Excellence
Faculty were the first to experience the new center, participating in a three-day, hands-on Faculty Development Program (FDP) focused on analog systems experiments using ASLK PRO. The 45 participants from JNTU Anantapur’s 35 affiliated colleges who attended the training are now the mentors to their peers at the 118 colleges in the JNTU Anantapur system, organizing similar training events.
A faculty participant designing the universal active filter on ASLK PRO
Faculty members and students alike are encouraged to use TI’s online training portal, which includes online training for TI Precision Labs –Op Amps and Getting Started with MSP430 Launchpad. Students can also make use of the Analog Engineer's Pocket Reference which covers a wide variety of popular precision signal chain topics – from op amp bandwidth and stability to analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversions.
These modules, combined with TI technology and a state-of-the-art educational facility, can help engineering students in India gain the technical expertise needed to become industry-ready when they graduate and go into the workforce.