Chitkara University H.P. students explored TI Analog Solutions through Texas Instruments India Analog Camp 2015

With this first issue of Volume 2 of Technology Connect, we wish our readers Happy New Year 2016. We started with Technology Connect in June 2015, with an aim to promote knowledge sharing in latest technology areas in electronics & computer science. In Volume 1 we published 21 issues between June 2015 and December 2015.

In the last quarter of 2015 we conducted, in collaboration with Texas Instruments (TI) India University Program a design contest (TI India Analog Campaign 2015) for our second year and third year ECE students where our students used TI Power Design Tool-WEBENCH and TI Analog ICs to carry out a given design problem. About 140 ECE students from second & third year participated in the contest which was organized in two rounds. Contest winners were declared on Jan 14, 2016 and were given TI Chronos Watches (sponsored by TI) by Ms. Sarojini Ganju Thakur-Chairperson Himachal Pradesh Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission in presence of Dr. Madhu Chitkara - Pro Chancellor, Chitkara University, H.P. Also present were Brig (Dr.) RS Grewal - VC, Chitkara University H.P., Dr. Varinder Kanwar - Registrar, Dr. Sudhir Mahajan - Dean R&D and Dr. Rajnish Sharma - Dean Academics

Winners with their TI Chronos Watches

TI India Analog Campaign 2015 was organized by Chitkara University, Himachal Pradesh to give students hands-on exposure on electronic design using software simulator, and semiconductor ICs. The contest was conducted in collaboration with TI India University Program, Edgate Technologies Bangalore and IETE Students'Chapter. Around 140 students in 69 teams participated. Round 1 was based on electronic design simulator-WEBENCH from Texas Instruments and Round 2 was designing of an electronic circuit using TI semiconductor ICs. 21 teams qualified for Round 2 and finally two teams were declared winners who were awarded TI Chronos Watch sponsored by Texas Instruments.

WEBENCH is a powerful online design suite from TI that let electronic designers create designs like power supply, sensors applications, filters, amplifiers etc. over internet in matter of few minutes. User just need to input the system requirements, input voltage and current ratings, desired accuracy, operating range etc and select the preferred components, the WEBENCH will output the complete solution and topologies. For Round 1 of the contest TI had given a problem statement where our students were required to design a power supply with desired output voltage and current ratings using TI LM3150 IC. Once designed students were supposed to answer 10 objective type questions related to the obtained design. Students were trained on WEBENCH prior to the contest.

Students working during Round 1

In Round 2, a problem on oscillator design using TI Op-amp and Analog Multiplier was given. Students were supposed to analysis the design to calculate the theoretical value of frequency of oscillations; this was followed by simulating the design using SPICE based tool and obtaining the desired responses. Lastly students implemented the circuit on hardware using the TI Op-amp & Analog Multiplier. They obtained the desired results and compared them with simulation and theoretical results. Top 2 teams were decided based on the best implementation of all three stages-theoretical,simulation and hardware.

The contest gave a good exposure to students on how to tackle design problems. They also got exposed to the availability of great deal of online resources and support in carrying out any electronic hardware projects. In total it was a very satisfying experience for the students.

Thanks are due to Texas Instruments India University Program & Edgate Technologies Bangalore of organizing such a contest. Thanks are also due to Dr. Rajnish Sharma, Dean Academics Chitkara University, H.P. for supporting this activity.

By-Sagar Juneja, Research Associate, Chitkara University