Haotian Duan

Wireless technologies have become a very critical part of our lives. However, even for some electrical engineers, radio frequency (RF) related topics are considered to be somewhat governed by “black magic”. This course aims to provide an intuitive understanding of how RF circuits and systems work, and to help you utilize wireless technologies in a more predictable manner. Topics such as wave propagation, modulation, RF transceiver topology, and basic antenna design will be covered. Lab sessions are tailored to provide hands-on exploration of various RF circuits/modules and their real- world applications, such as wireless Arduino communications, antenna fabrication and testing, and oscilloscope / spectrum analyzer measurements.

Basic circuit design and prototyping skills are preferred, but a review class is provided at the beginning of the course.

Schedule (7 weeks)

2.5-hr lecture, plus 1.5-hr office-hour per week

Class 1: Recap of fundamentals of circuit design, prototyping, and Arduino topics.

Class 2: Basic wireless communication concepts – wave propagation and modulation (w/\r\nin-class demonstrations)

Class 3: Lab 1 – Signal measurements (oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer/software defined radio)

Class 4: Basic wireless communication concepts – transceiver architecture and antenna (w/\r\nin-class demonstrations)

Class 5: Lab 2 – Simple transceiver (Arduino communication through ASK module)

Class 6: Project – Antenna design and fabrication

Class 7: Project – Antenna measurement and integration