This year-long module provides a basic introduction to electrical and electronic devices in an aerospace engineering context. It will also introduce essential computation and programming skills to enable you to solve engineering problems.
The module provides a comprehensive introduction to both analogue and digital electronics, covering topics such as electronic fundamentals, Ohm's Law and Kirchhoff's Laws. It explores the role of diodes and their applications, the operation of transistors as switches and amplifiers, and the use of operational amplifiers in various configurations, including inverting, non-inverting and integrator circuits. The module also delves into digital fundamentals, logic circuits and binary number systems, as well as analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog conversions. Additionally, it includes an overview of data transmission methods, with a focus on ARINC 429, a key standard for data transmission in avionics systems.
The computing component introduces fundamental concepts in programming and MATLAB. It covers creating and using vectors, writing scripts and working with 2D data arrays and plotting. Students will learn about screen output, string manipulation and keyboard input, applying these skills to practical scenarios. The component includes program structure, with for and while loops, and the management of matrices along with conditional execution of code using if statements. Additional topics include version control, algorithms for sorting, integration and differentiation, as well as parallel programming and creating reusable code through functions. Advanced input/output operations from and to files are also covered.