BSc (Hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Module: Digital Electronics (TC50267E)

Assessment 1: Digital Electronics Assignment:

Laboratory Portfolio

This assignment carries 30% of the marks available for this module.
Submission date: Week 14

Learning Outcomes covered by this assignment:

LO1: Apply the fundamentals of digital electronics to design and analyse a
range of combinational and sequential logic circuits.
LO2: Construct, simulate and test a range of combinational and sequential
logic circuits.
LO3: Explain and compare digital logic gate families.

Key skills:
In attempting this assignment, you will be able to demonstrate skills and produce
evidence for at least part of:

• Plan an activity and get relevant information from relevant sources.

• Use this information to carry out multi-stage calculations to do with

amounts or sizes, scales or proportion, handling statistics, using formulae.

• Interpret the results of your calculations, present your findings and justify
your methods.

• Enter and develop the information and derive new information.

• Present combined information such as text with image, text with number,
image with number.
 Assignment Brief
Introduction
The Pelican Crossing is a signalised crossing used on public highways and
incorporates audio equipment to generate audio tones to assist visually impaired
pedestrians to cross safely. At single carriageway crossing sites, a ‘single bleep’
audio signal is generated whereas at a ‘staggered crossing facility’ a ‘bleep and
sweep’ audio signal is generated. Both types of audio signal are generated when
the green man, safe to cross, is displayed.

In addition to the audio signal, when the pedestrian ‘push to cross’ button is
pressed, digital electronic equipment generates the correct traffic lights
sequence.

Specifications

Traffic Lights
The normal traffic lights sequence will be displayed using appropriate coloured
LEDs.

Audio Signal
The fundamental frequency of the ‘single bleep’ tone can be between 2.0 kHz
and 3.5 kHz with a mark space ratio of 1.5:1 ± 10%. Whereas the main clock
pulsed are at 240 ± 10 pulses per minute.

The audio signal will be fed into an external audio amplifier. Figure 1 shows the
block diagram for the Pelican Crossing system

Digital
Pulse Amp
Generator
Main Clock
Digital
Sequence LED driver LEDs
Decoder

Figure 1 System block diagram

You are required to design, simulate and build the digital electronic circuits that
make up the complete system except for the audio amplifier which will be
provided to test the system.

The assignment is to be written up as a technical report that should include; your

design procedure, circuit diagrams, simulation results, practical laboratory
results, a discussion of the results and a conclusion. The report is to be
written using a suitable text editor such as Microsoft Word and submitted on-line
using Turnitin on Blackboard. The technical report is to be written in the third
person, ie do not use ‘I’, ‘we’, ‘you’ etc. There will be marks for presentation of
the report.

Guidelines for the structure of the report:

• Title
• Abstract: Summary of the work undertaken.
• Objectives: List a number of objectives or stages required to complete the
work.
• List of equipment and components used: All the components and
equipment used for practical work should be listed. Record make, model and
serial number of equipment used.
• Circuit diagram: Neat and clear schematic diagrams with correct technical
symbols, labels and component values.
• Principle of operation: A brief explanation of circuit operations with any
necessary equations and expressions.
• Calculations: Clear step by step calculations if required.
• Measurements/results: All measurements such as logic levels/timing
diagrams, waveforms etc should be recorded.
• Simulation results: The clear and readable printouts of schematic and
simulation results with very brief introduction. Avoid screen dumps.
• Discussion: Brief discussion of the results. Provide any comparisons
between; theoretical and practical results with theory.
• Conclusion: Brief conclusion of the work undertaken in the assignment.
 Assessment Criteria and Grading
Assessed Criteria Marks 80%+ 70%+ 60% + 50% + 40%+ 20%+ 0 - 20%
Presentation: High quality Excellent use Very good Good Basic evidence Minimal Almost a total
The degree, to which the presentation with and application application of application of of the use of evidence of the lack of the use of
work uses standard the consistent use of the standard standard standard standard use of standard the standard
10 of the correct conventions conventions and a conventions conventions and conventions and conventions and
mathematical and technical
conventions, is clearly conventions and the work is good clear and a clear thought given to little care taken the work poorly
presented and requires little throughout the presented in a presentation. presentation. the presentation. in its setting out. set out
or no editing from the marker work. very clear
of the work. manner.

Method. Fully understands Excellent A very good A good Has grasped an A little evidence Does not
Clearly shows that the and clearly appreciation approach to and appreciation for understanding of that there is demonstrate an
problem has been demonstrates a of the subject execution of the subject that the basics and is some small understanding of
50 full understanding with a very engineering is converted able to show appreciation for the basics of the
understood and the
academic contents reflect of the subject. sound problems. into a sound some methodical understanding subject.
the degree of understanding approach to approach to approach to the subject
of the subject. problem engineering problem solving.
solving. problems.

Assessment of task 35 A comprehensive Data obtained Circuit construction All the Appropriate Circuit built No evidence of
Evidence that different tasks conclusion is from simulation and measurement necessary instrument correctly with any attempt to
necessary for practical provided and practical task completed measurements selection and minimal help practical
exercise are carried out demonstrating a full measurements successfully. are completed their connection from tutor exercise
successfully and presented understanding of is evaluated Simulation correctly to circuit Built
in short report. the design and and discussed. completed with circuit is tested
task. clear printouts for correct
provided. operation

Accuracy A very high Work virtually Very few errors in Work contains Work contains Work contains Constantly
An incorrect answer is often standard of devoid of errors the work with few errors with some errors but many careless makes errors in
produced to a problem by accuracy is and is minimal effect on little impact on which do not errors but shows the work with
5 maintained with all completed to the solution of the the solution. have too much some little or no
the careless execution of
mathematical calculation or the work. the required Engineering impact on the consistency at attention to
circuit construction, accuracy. problems. correct solutions times. detail.
measurement and in to the problems.
simulation task. Whereas
marks will be attributed to
'method' as shown above, it
is important to compute the
correct answer to the
problem.