Rough Guide to Topics covered in year 1 ACSE modules during semester 2 (subject to change as the semester progresses) :

ACS108 Professional
and Laboratory Skills
ACS123 Systems
Engineering Maths
ACS124 Modelling,
Simulation and Control
ACS125 Dynamic Systems
Analysis
ACS126 Computing
and Systems Design
EEE151
Weeks
1-2
Recap intro from
semester 1. Lab
briefing. MATLAB

Peer marking of 1
st

major lab report.

Different lab
experiments scheduled
per group, with each
group completing the
full set of experiments
by the end of the year.
Matrices, determinants and
inverses
Introduction to control.
Examples. Open-loop
and closed-loop control;
summary of features.
Control strategies.
Sequential control and PLCs.
Regulation, trajectory
following; introduction to
continuous control
systems and PID controllers
Module overview, review of
Autumn Semester concepts,
introduction to Spring
Semester example systems

Case study: HIV disease
modelling (LTI, deterministic,
discrete)
C programming:
pointers, pointers and
arrays, pointer arithmetic
Basic Diode Behaviour :
large and small signal
diode models. Diode
Applications : rectifiers,
capacitor input smoothing,
ripple, zener diode
regulators. Clipping,
clamping, voltage doublers,
voltage multipliers.
Transistors : BJT, JFET
and MOSFET
characteristics, similarities
and differences. Switching
Applications : on-state
and off-state behaviour,
drive considerations for
BJT and MOSFET,
inductive loads and back
emf, switching AC power,
bridge topologies for motor
control. Amplifier
Applications :
amplification, biasing,
designing dc conditions,
thermal stability. Small
signal ideas, generation of
simple model (g
m
based),
equivalent circuits, coupling
and decoupling, mid-
frequency examples.
Operational Amplifiers :
advantages of - ideal
performance. Basic circuit
shapes, idea of feedback,
follower circuits, virtual
earth circuits, effect of finite
gains. Use of superposition
to handle multiple source
amplifiers.
Weeks
3-4
MATLAB. (Images,
plotting, curve fitting,
Laplace)
Introduction to simple
integration. Integration
methods and properties of
trigonometric integrals
Systems concepts:
Classification. Properties of
linear systems
Review of complex variables.
Laplace Transforms:
Introduction to discrete-state
and discrete-time systems:
state-transition diagrams,
cohort simulation, stability

Introduction to stochastic
modelling: randomness,
distributions, descriptive
statistics, hypothesis testing
C programming: bitwise
operations, files
Weeks
5-6
MATLAB (Simulink)

Guest speaker
tentatively week 5, but the
speaker has not yet
confirmed.
Parametric and implicit
differentiation techniques.
Laplace transforms.
Transforms of simple
functions. Inversion of the
Laplace Transform
Solving linear differential
equations
Transfer functions and block
diagram algebra.
Introduction to stochastic
modelling: random number
generation, Monte Carlo
simulation

Case study: parameter
variation in a race car
suspension (LTI, stochastic,
continuous)
C programming: file I/O,
functions and passing
parameters
Weeks
7-8
Invited speaker to talk
about a research topic
and what makes a good
researcher (e.g. MPC
or GP or )
MATLAB (GUIs,
control)


Partial fractions and use for
ODEs and inverse Laplace.
Methods for solving ODEs
without constant coefficients.
Performance criteria. Time-
domain performance criteria.
Frequency-domain
performance domain.
First-order systems; second-
order systems.
Introduction to computational
simulation of continuous-time
dynamics: Euler method,
Runge-Kutta.

Case study: hydraulic
extrusion press (non-linear TI,
deterministic, hybrid) (1)
continuous-time dynamics
C programming: switch
statement, special
operators, detailed
formatting. C
programming for the
microcontroller.
Weeks
9-10
Peer marking of 2
nd

reports.

MATLAB (generate
Fourier series using
Sequences/ series/Taylor
and Graphical/ iterative
methods. Vectors,
scalar/vector products, lines
and planes
Fourier analysis.
Relationship to Laplace
- (2) incorporation of digital
valve control

Introduction to discrete-event
systems: basic concept and
C programming:
functions and modular
program design.

Week 10: in lab for
symbolic toolbox) examples presentation of C
program to control
project hardware
(individual work)

Weeks
11-12
Overview and revision Introduction to discrete-event
systems: simulation of simple
cellular automata

Introduction to discrete-event
systems: simulation of Moore
machines playing the repeated
prisoners dilemma; module
review
Week 11: C program for
matrix manipulation.
Module review