Jianjian Song

Learning and practicing fundamentals of electrical and computer engineering through building and programming a microcontroller with multiple peripherals

A required sophomore course on microcontrollers and computer architecture was designed and offered for the first time in 2009 to expose our electrical engineering (EE) sophomore students to microcontroller-based applications so that they could appreciate and be exposed to fundamentals of electrical and computer engineering (ECE) through hardware and software design and interfacing. The course also helps students to obtain a broad view of various subjects of ECE from circuits, signals, digital logic, microcontrollers, C and assembly language programming to system design, implementation and measurement so that they can make a well informed decision on whether to continue to major in EE. The course builds a foundation for future classes that may require instrumentation or microcontroller-based applications such as those on communications, control, power electronics as well as junior and senior design courses. In addition, the students are required to purchase most of the hardware components for the course so that they can use the components for future projects.

Effectiveness of PCB Simulation in Teaching High-Speed Digital Design

Signal integrity for high-speed digital design at the printed-circuit board (PCB) level is an issue of increasing importance in electronic design that requires coverage in more undergraduate classes. This paper describes how simulation tools offer an economical alternative to hardware-based experiments in undergraduate courses in high speed design. A simulation tool, Hyperlynx, has been used in our high-speed digital design class to help students understand fundamental concepts and ideas in signal integrity as well as to experiment with different techniques for maintaining signal integrity in a PCB design. We present examples in which traditional approaches employing only closed-form expressions can be effectively supplemented with simulation to help students gain a deeper understanding of basic concepts such as time-of-flight, parasitic parameters, nonlinear driver and receiver models, characteristic impedance, per-unit- length parameters, termination techniques, and crosstalk.

A required EMC course for computer engineering undergraduates

A required junior-level course on electromagnetic compatibility and signal integrity has been added to our computer engineering curriculum. The goal of the course is to prepare our students for further study in high-speed design and to provide them with a competitive advantage in the marketplace. The course is, of necessity, a compromise between coverage of electromagnetics theory and the breadth of the discussion of EMC practice and techniques. The focus is on those aspects of EMC related to high-speed digital systems and upon EMC laboratory measurements and techniques. This paper reports the course, laboratories; lessons learned and anticipated future directions for the course

Developing an SI tool set for engineering design discovery, physical insight, and education

This paper reports on the process of developing a signal integrity tool set for engineers and educators. These tools will complement well-known enterprise numerical tools by providing the designer, student, or educator a reliable means of finding accurate results for specific questions in signal integrity design and troubleshooting. They are intended to find use as accurate, traceable, and easy-to-use aids in design discovery and in education. Their computational engines will use recognized methods from the literature and these will be made available so that interested users will be in complete control of their enquiries; there will be no calculations in which the user is kept in the dark about the methods used. The SI tool set will be made freely available on the internet.

Development of a concept inventory test for signal and power integrity in electronic design

Signal and power integrity in electronic design is not an easy subject to teach as it involves both electrical circuit and electromagnetic field as well physical structure of active and passive components. Great effort has been made to develop teaching and evaluating materials for the subject in engineering schools, especially at undergraduate level. This paper describes our work on the development and evaluation of a concept inventory test on signal and power integrity. Major concepts of signal and power integrity are discussed and our justification in making the concept inventory test is presented. The test has been shown to be a good tool to teach high speed digital electronic design at PCB and system levels. The usefulness of the test in evaluating a graduate-level class on signal and power integrity is presented from the data obtained from a pretest and post-test given to students of the class. The data shows the average of 13% grade improvement from the pre-test to post-test. The individual grade changes vary from −17% to 44%. Another set of test results from a Chinese university also shows clear improvement of student grades of a post-test over a pre-test.