MAE 3780 - Mechatronics

Spring. 4 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: CS 1110/CS 1112 or equivalent programming experience, MATH 2930 and PHYS 2213. Enrollment limited to: junior M.E. Majors and those officially taking the MechE Minor. Other majors enroll in MAE 3783. Petitions to enroll in this class without having met the prereqs are rarely allowed. Petitions must be made through the MAE departmental Petition link on the MAE website. The course instructor does not make decisions on enrollment for this class. Co-meets with MAE 3783.

C. Nunez.

Mechatronics sits at the intersection of mechanical and electrical engineering. Many modern mechanical systems (e.g. vehicles) includes embedded electronics and microcontrollers. This course introduces students to mechatronic systems with a hands-on focus on circuits that interact with the world via sensors and actuators. Students will learn the underlying theory behind circuit behavior along with extensive circuit prototyping and debugging. The course will culminate in the design, fabrication, and programming of a mechatronic system such as a mobile robot or device for home/office automation.

Outcome 1: Students will be able to analyze a given circuit using relevant physical laws to solve for parameters of interest in the circuit (e.g. voltages and currents).

Outcome 2: Students will be able to select from known circuit topologies to accomplish a desired task, and appropriately choose or size components for the circuit.

Outcome 3: Students will be able to prototype and debug electronic circuits and mechatronic systems while skillfully using relevant laboratory equipment (e.g. breadboards, multimeters, oscilloscopes).

Outcome 4: Students will be able to program a microcontroller to interface with circuits that include sensors and actuators.

Outcome 5: Students will be able to design, build, and program a mechatronic system to accomplish a desired task while taking constraints and requirements into account.