Resources for Physics 256

The .mcd files are for use with Mathcad versions 11+, although some will work with older versions too.   The .pdf files are for use with Adobe Acrobat Reader version 5 or later; versions 7+ work best.

• BasicElectronics.pdf   Complete textbook, Basic Electronics, by Prof. Curtis Meyer of CMU.
  Used by permission; do not redistribute.
• tutorial.mcd tutorial.pdf   Tutorial on using Mathcad to analyze Physics laboratory experiments.
• Mathcad_circuit_design.pdf   Tutorial on Mathcad symbolics and their use for analyzing and designing electronic circuits, from EDN magazine, Jan. 23, 2006.
• Mathcad_circuit_design_files.zip Mathcad files as described in "Mathcad circuit design.pdf."
• TDS210_description.pdf   A very nice description of the TDS210 (and similar) oscilloscopes, from Hands-On Electronics by Kaplan and White.
• Contemporary Electronics.pdf   The complete text for an electronics course taught in New Mexico, supplied by National Instruments.  Also introduces and uses LabView as a diagnostic and experimental tool in the electronics lab.
• FilterLab.zip   FilterLabUserGuide.pdf   A nice freeware design program for op-amp active filters, from microchips.com.

Data Sheets

• 1N914B.pdf   Manufacturer's data for the 1N914B and 1N4148 small-signal diodes.
• 1N4001-1N4007.pdf   Data for the ever-popular 1N400x series of power rectifiers.
• 2N4400.pdf   Data for the 2N4000 NPN general-purpose amplifier transistor.
• 2N5458.pdf   Data for the 2N5458 N-channel depletion-mode junction FET, and the similar 2N5457.
• PDB-C113.pdf   A cheap photodiode offering good all-round performance.
• 741.pdf   An obsolete but still widely used general purpose op-amp.
• LF411.pdf   A general-purpose FET input op-amp.
• LM311.pdf   A widely used comparator with good overall performance.
• 7446A.pdf A decoder for binary BCD --> 7-segment displays.
• MC14543B.pdf   A decoder plus data latch for binary BCD --> 7-segment displays.
• 74LS367.pdf   A "tri-state" bus driver for shared data pathways.
• ADC0804.pdf   An inexpensive, easy to use analog-to-digital converter using the successive approximation method.
• TC14433.pdf   An inexpensive 3-1/2 digit analog-to-digital converter using the dual slope method.
• AD680.pdf   A precision 2.5V reference, plus a temperature transducer output.

Web Resources

There are of course innumerable web resources for electronics, ranging from the pet projects of individual hobbyists to large professionally maintained sites.   You should explore on your own, since I have not yet had a chance to prepare a meaningful compilation.  Nevertheless, here's a small start:

• Circuit Cellar  A professional website with numerous project designs, many by professional engineers.  The more recent projects frequently feature examples of using programmable gate arrays, complex logic devices, or microcontrollers, usually by taking advantage of the manufacturer's relatively inexpnsive evaluation boards.
• Parallax, Inc.  A manufacturer of simple microcontrollers, programmable in Basic, for education and hobbyist use.  Prof. Eyler has one of their evaluation systems available for potential Physics 256 project use.
• SparkFun Electronics  Supplies affordably-priced sensor boards, microcontrollers, displays, and general gadgetry suitable for Physics 256 projects.
• Meny.html  A hobbyist web page with numerous interesting projects, many of them involving rf electronics. Programmable microcontrollers are frequently used as a data interfacing scheme.