Special Topics In Engineering II

Study information

Work Integrated Learning Projects Other Information Radiofrequency (rf) and digital electronics form the engineering basis of a range of modern day technologies. Systems as diverse as cellular mobile and satellite communications networks, GPS, DVB-T television, WiFi, Bluetooth, radar, radio-location, RFID and magnetic resonance imaging all rely on complex systems based on rf and digital electronics. These days, low-cost, off-the-shelf embedded systems have become widely available and make it relatively easy for engineers to implement new solutions. In particular, the low cost of miniaturised wireless devices running embedded processsors that are programmable with free and open source software (FOSS) makes it possible for any engineer, knowledgeable in radio and microprocessors, to rapidly develop and deploy wireless solutions. Often however, successful implementation of a wireless solution may demand more than direct implementation of off-the-shelf solutions. For example, how does an engineer decide whether a frequency synthesiser employed in a commercial radio is sufficiently stable for a radar application? What does an engineer do if a FOSS package does not meet all the features demanded by a project? When should an engineer decide to build a dedicated radio front end? Companies that adopt or adapt OEM wireless solutions often need engineers experienced in rf and digital electronics to get the job done. Special topics ENGN4521/6521, Embedded Wireless, expands on previous courses offered by the college by covering radiofrequency engineering and digital electronics together in the context of several realworld applications. Students completing this course will obtain a deep understanding of radiofrequency (rf) engineering, learn how to design and build an rf transceiver and be able to program and deploy off-theshelf embedded radios. Students will also learn how to program embedded microprocessors using FOSS. In labs, students will become familiar with modern radiofrequency test and measurement equipment, PCB manufacture and a low cost LINUX based embedded system. There is no proprietory software used in the course. All RF designs are performed using scripts in OCTAVE.