INTRODUCTION TO MECHATRONICS
Fundamentals of DC and AC circuit analysis and design, stressing tools needed to understand circuits typically used in instrumentation and control of physical systems (sensors/actuators); an introduction to the design of active and passive linear circuits for buffering and filtering signals; an introduction to digital circuits, Boolean logic, programming, especially as needed for computer interface operations in mechanical engineering applications (example: embedded microcontrollers). Laboratory exercises.
Prerequisites & course information
Requisites: ( M E 340 or concurrent enrollment), ( MATH 320 , 319 , or 376 ), and ( PHYSICS 202 , 208 , or 248 ), or graduate/professional standing Repeatable for Credit: No Last Taught: Fall 2026 Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe and mathematically represent circuit element properties and their analogies to mechanical systems Audience: Undergraduate 2. Apply Kirchoff’s and Ohm’s laws to design and analyze AC and DC circuits Audience: Undergraduate 3. Design and apply active and passive AC and DC circuits for instrumentation or control systems Audience: Undergraduate 4. Design and analyze signal conditioning circuits utilized in instrumentation or control systems Audience: Undergraduate 5. Write software to configure hardware, drive state machines, and control algorithms Audience: Undergraduate 6. Utilize digital logic, computer interfaces, sensors, actuators, and programming approaches to solve mechanical engineering problems Audience: Undergraduate 7. Communicate with experts in the various disciplines associated with instrumentation of and computer control of machines and processes Audience: Undergraduate Learning Outcomes: 1. Describe and mathematically represent circuit element properties and their analogies to mechanical systems Audience: Undergraduate 2. Apply Kirchoff’s and Ohm’s laws to design and analyze AC and DC circuits Audience: Undergraduate 3. Design and apply active and passive AC and DC circuits for instrumentation or control systems Audience: Undergraduate 4. Design and analyze signal conditioning circuits utilized in instrumentation or control systems Audience: Undergraduate 5. Write software to configure hardware, drive state machines, and control algorithms Audience: Undergraduate 6. Utilize digital logic, computer interfaces, sensors, actuators, and programming approaches to solve mechanical engineering problems Audience: Undergraduate 7. Communicate with experts in the various disciplines associated with instrumentation of and computer control of machines and processes Audience: Undergraduate
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026-2027