Monday, 27 April 2009

• [Cram Fest 2009]

  I got a Signals Processing exam tomorrow at 1.  Got 2 chapters left.  It's going to be a long night...

  Wednesday: Statistics.  BORING.  I'd almost write an english paper instead.

  I've been doing a LOT of math this year.  With the exception of 1 out of 5 of my ECE classes, I've pretty much been working with equations non-stop.

  • Linear Systems - math modeling of various electric systems, developed the math skills necessary for higher level ECE courses
  • Microelectronics - equations dealing with transistors (pure memorization, terrible class, every ECE student agrees), the good thing about taking this class is that I learned that I do not want to deal with developing semiconductors
  • Control Systems - math modeling of control systems (a bit more fun since I'm almost working with something physically, but still a ton of math)
  • Signals Processing - math models of signal processing systems such as image and audio processing, sooooo boring, only reason I'm taking it is because it's required, I would have preferred taking a high level logic class but the workload would have been too much to handle

  • Embedded Systems - about the only class where I didn't have to deal with equations intensively, we program a microcontroller, the class has a final project, this year the project involved assembling and programming an ultrasonic system that works much like sonar, the last project invovled programming the controller so that it could relay information to a computer and have the computer display data to the user, fun class but has the workload of 2 maybe 3 ECE classes

  I just have to survive these last 2 days.  But boredom is a strong motivator for not working.  I definitely need to do something fun this summer.  I'm thinking about building one of these things (graphic equalizer):

  

  It's a very simple circuit; just a bunch of resistors and capacitors.  The way it works is by putting X number of capacitors in a certain way that the circuit's reponse to different electric signal frequencies will change.  So, let's say I used 3 capacitors that would pass frequencies up to 1000 Hz, any electric signal that has a frequency higher than 1000 Hz would not go through very effectively.  So a signal of 1500 Hz for example would contribute no voltage to that path.  Essentially the circuit path will only "show" the voltage of singals that are up to 1000 Hz only.  By taking the output from an audio port, feeding it into an amplifier, and then feeding the output of the amplifier to the filter circuit (the circuit will have LEDs), a graphic equalizer can be implemented.  The LEDs will light up according to the voltage level of the 1000 Hz signal.  The stronger the signal, the more LEDs will light up for the 1000 Hz column of LEDs.

  Well that was fun to talk about

  On a related note, glowsticking is awsome.  This isn't me by the way, though I wish I could that.

   

   

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