Course syllabus

Course-PM

MCC125 Wireless link project lp2 HT23 (7.5 hp)

This course is offered by the department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience MC2.

Contact details

The teaching team

• Vessen Vassilev: Examiner
• Rob Vissers: Teaching Assistant HW
  
• Husileng Bao: Teaching Assistant SW

Course purpose

Students studying digital communications focus on how to construct a communication link. However, when it comes to the implementation, they face a whole new set of problems. Same applies for the microwave/hardware designers. Effects such as non linearity, heat dissipation and oscillations are often overlooked during the design stage, but manifest themselves after the designs are manufactured and tested. With the experience acquired within the course students will learn the building blocks of a digital communication system, how to implement modulation/demodulation algorithm, and how to design, analyze, assemble and evaluate a real hardware. This course will teach you how to solve the most typical problems that engineers face in "real-life" implementations of communication link.

Schedule

We will provide assistance and supervision on Mondays afternoon and Thursdays before noon during the duration of the course. Other times are also OK provided we are available.

TimeEdit

Course literature

This is a project course, we do not have particular book that follows the course. However, to refresh your knowledge in digital communications we can recommend:

[1] A Quadrature Signals Tutorial: Complex, But Not Complicated by Richard Lyons,
https://mriquestions.com/uploads/3/4/5/7/34572113/quad_signals_tutorial-lyons.pdf
[2] H. Meyr, M. Moeneclaey, and S. A. Fechtel, Digital Communication Receivers, Synchronization, Channel Estimation, and Signal Processing. Wiley, 1998.
[3] U. Mengali, and A. N. Andra, Synchronization Techniques for Digital Receivers. New York: Plenum Press, 1997. –This text is available online from the Chalmers library.

Course design

You will be working in small (4-6 persons) groups combining students with different expertise, comparable to industrial development teams. To complete the course each group will need to demonstrate a simplex transmission of data (text, or picture or other file of your choice) over a distance of 100 m using your own designed and assembled hardware. You will construct and use your own software to modulate the carrier in the transmitter, to detect your message in the receiver and to correct the hardware impairments such as frequency offset, phase offset, timing synchronization, etc. To successfully complete the course on time, you will need to meet a certain deadlines, as for example submitting your PCB designs. The table bellow summarizes the milestones of the course.

You will be given access to a well equipped laboratory where you can design, assemble and test your hardware. We provide a selection of spectrum/network analyzers, signal generators sources and other laboratory equipment.

The course starts with an introductory lecture, followed by a 2 more lectures on hardware and software designs. Students will then start their design-work by select the structure of their hardware and submit a link-budget, which will be reviewed by the teaching team. The link budget is followed by layouting of the printed circuit board (PCB), which is reviewed and send for fabrication. After receiving the boards, it is time for the assembly and testing of the PCBs.

The software design is running in parallel and its functionality includes: detecting of the message start, correcting for frequency and phase offsets, decoding and displaying the message. The software functionality can be tested before the actual hardware is ready, by using external up-down converter modules, provided in the lab. The final step is to connect the HW with the SW and test a data transmission. Final test is taking place in the MC2 building where transmitter and receiver are located 100m apart.

In order to complete the course in time, it is important that the link budget/´and PCB designs are submitted on time. The table bellow summarizes the milestones of the course.

Changes made since the last occasion

The student lab has expanded and can accommodate more students with more space alailable.

Learning objectives and syllabus

Learning objectives:

• design and evaluate a real wireless transmission link
• analyze and evaluate different technical solutions
• learn how to identify and solve technical problems
• learn how to use laboratory instruments to debug your design
• show the ability of team work and collaboration in groups with different background
• discuss and present results in written and spoken English to different groups
• show the ability to identify the need of further knowledge and continuous knowledge developmen

https://www.student.chalmers.se/sp/course?course_id=36122

Study plan

Examination form

Students are individually graded as "Fail", 3, 4 or 5.  The individual grade is referenced to a group grade, which is based on the demonstrating the link functionality on time, its performance, such as data rate, distance and modulation format. Individual grades may be adjusted based on individual contributions and on individual level of reporting and presenting results. The course is completed after submitting a report.