Welcome

                                Spring 2026
     Electronic Aids to Measurement

    Instructors:

    Dan McCammon                                                Mitch McNanna
    Office: 6207 Chamberlin Hall                           Office: 6246 Chamberlin Hall
    E-mail: mccammon@physics.wisc.edu             E-mail:  mcnanna@wisc.edu   
    Phone: 608/262-5916                                      Office hours: 11:00am-12:30pm Tuesdays
    Office hours:  4:00-5:00 Mondays in                                      in 3119A Chamberlin
                           6207/6247 Chamberlin
                           or arrange with Dan              

    Lectures in 2223 Chamberlin Tues. and Thurs.  1:00 pm - 2:15 pm

    Labs in 3119A Chamberlin on Wednesdays 2:25-5:25pm and 7:00-10:00pm

    Text: Horowitz & Hill The Art of Electronics, 3rd ed.
     updated index

    Supplementary text (recommended): Sprott Introduction to Modern Electronics       download pdf
                (pdfs of other useful texts are available below)                              (errata)

     Syllabus  (30 January 2026 - NEW!)

    Pre-Lab Worksheets:
       (complete before lab and turn in at the beginning of the lab session)
     Except as noted below, prelab questions are all in the Lab Directions

      lab 11 (Circuit Simulation): download and look over MultiSim lab hints below - bring to lab with you.  You can also
                               get a copy of the timing diagram for the successive approximation A/D converter.

      lab 12 (FPGA): look over the experiment writeup and optionally some of the reference material under "Altera" below.
                               If you want, you can get your own copy of the software from http://www.terasic.com
                               (download the CD-rom) and the Quartus II Web Edition FPGA system here:https://www.intel.com/

    Homework Assignments Here (click for directory)

    Useful General References

    Supplementary Material:


   LABORATORY

   General Lab Handouts:

     Laboratory Equipment:

    Software Documentation (PDF format):

    Lab Directions Here:

  1. Oscilloscope
  2. Transmission Line
  3. Common Emmitter Amplifier
  4. Operational Amplifiers
  5. Johnson Noise
  6. Phase Detector
  7. Oscillators
  8. Digital Circuits
  9. Phase Locked Loop
  10. Digital to Analog and Analog to Digital Conversion
  11. Analog and Digital Circuit Simulation
  12. FPGA I
  13. FPGA II
    14.

    Data Sheets (PDF format):

     Get the ones you need for an experiment.
     You may be able to share with your lab partner.

Physics 623 Lectures and Labs — Spring 2026

Week

Date (TR)

Lecture Topic

Lab (W)

Laboratory

Text reference

1

Jan. 20

Linear Circuit Theory

 

 

Sprott Ch. 1

 

Jan. 22

More LCT

 

 

Sprott Ch. 2

2

Jan. 27

Time-dependent Circuits

Jan. 28

Introduction-Scope*

Sprott Ch. 3

 

Jan. 29

Phasors & Transmissions Lines

 

 

Sprott 4.1-4.5

3

Feb. 3

Transistor Amplifiers

Feb. 4

Transmission Lines*

Ch. 2, Sprott Ch 8

 

    Feb. 5

Difference Amplifiers

 

 

Ch. 2

4

    Feb. 11

Negative Feedback

Feb. 11

Transistor Amplifier

Ch. 4

 

    Feb. 12

Op-amps I

 

 

Ch. 4

5

Feb. 17

MIDTERM EXAM

Feb.18

Operational Amps 1


 

Feb. 19

Op-amps II

 

 

Handout

6

Feb. 24

Noise I

Feb. 25

Operational Amps 2

Ch. 8

 

Feb. 26

Noise II

 

 

Ch. 8

7

Mar. 3

Lock-in amplifiers

Mar. 4

Johnson Noise

Ch. 8.14

 

Mar. 5

Lock-in applications

 

 

Ch. 8.14

 8

Mar. 10

Oscillators and positive feedback

Mar. 11

Phase Detector

Ch. 7

 

Mar. 12

Digital Logic

 

 

Ch. 10

9

Mar. 17

Digital Circuits I

Mar. 18

Oscillators

Handout

 

Mar. 19

Integrated Circuits

 

 

 

 10

Mar. 24

MIDTERM EXAM

Mar. 25

Digital Circuits

 

 

Mar 26

Phase Locked Loops

 

 

 

March 28 – April 5

Spring Break

 

 

Ch. 13.13

11

Apr. 7

DACs and ADCs

Apr. 8

Phase Locked Loops

Ch 13.1-13.12

 

Apr. 9

DACs and ADCs

 

 

Ch 13.7-13.8

12

Apr. 14

Circuit Simulation

Apr. 15

DAC & ADC

 

 

Apr. 16

FPGA I

 

 

Appendix J - Handouts

13

Apr. 21

FPGA II

Apr. 22

Circuit Simulation

Ch. 11

 

Apr. 23

Modulation and communication

 

 

Handout

14

Apr. 28

Digital computers

Apr. 29

FPGA I

Handout

 

Apr. 30

Review

 

 

 

Sunday May 3,

10:05 AM – 12:05 PM

FINAL EXAM

 

 

*Read Appendix “O” on oscilloscopes in Horowitz & Hill.  Also scope tutorials and manuals on course website.









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