This course provides an introduction to instrumentation and data systems for engineers covering error analysis, signal acquisition and processing.

2 lectures per week

None

None

85% Written Exam

10% Report

5% Set Exercise

This course aims to introduce instrumentation systems and data systems commonly found within an engineering context.

By the end of the course the students will be able to:

■ analyse systematic and random uncertainties which occur during measurement;

■ describe appropriate methods of reporting and using uncertainties;

■ explain how uncertainties are propagated and combine in calculations;

■ analyse instrumentation circuits and predict transient and frequency response;

■ explain the principles of common transducers e.g. position, temperature, pressure, stress/strain;

■ describe the most suitable instrumentation circuits for common transducers;

■ explain the design of operational amplifier signal conditioning circuits including the effects of non-ideal behaviour;

■ describe the operation of digital to analogue/analogue to digital converters and be able to identify the performance required from them for a given application.

Students must attend the degree examination and submit at least 75% by weight of the other components of the course's summative assessment.

Students must attend the timetabled laboratory classes.

Students should attend at least 75% of the timetabled classes of the course.

Note that these are minimum requirements: good students will achieve far higher participation/submission rates.  Any student who misses an assessment or a significant number of classes because of illness or other good cause should report this by completing a MyCampus absence report.