Topics and Notes Summary (4/20/2006; updated frequently):

DATE COMMENT

May 1-3

Final Deliverables due

Monday 1 May 2006

Wednesday 3 May 2006

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Complete project documentation package delivered to ECE office by 3:00PM.

Materials to submit include:

  1. Engineering Standards and Constraints Review Paper

  2. EE492 Design Journals (in labeled box)

  3. Design Fair presentation package (poster)

  4. Technical Documentation Package: Report, Design Description, and User's Manual (if applicable)

  5. Senior Design Checklist fully completed.

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April 27 Th
Week 15

DESIGN FAIR (8-10AM setup, 10-noon design reviews, noon-6PM public open house)

Here are the Design Review Grading Standards, and the review schedule.

 

April 20 Th
Week 14

Course wrap-up:  go over the end-of-semester requirements.  Fill out course/instructor evaluations.

 

April 13 Thursday
Week 13

No seminar meeting this day.

Reminder:

The Design Fair is coming up onThursday, April 27.  Here is the schedule for that day:

 

  • 9:00AM:  SUB Ballroom is open for poster/project setup

 

  • 10:00-11:00AM:  Faculty design review teams meet at the posters of ECEbot Advanced Navigation and Wireless Fence Monitor

 

  • 11:00AM-noon:  Faculty design review teams meet at the posters of Wireless ECEbot Communications and CAN Bus Video

 

  • Noon-6:00PM:  Public open house (faculty will review the poster displays from 3-5PM)

 

Keep in mind that all team members must be present for the assigned one hour design review slots that morning.  Your team can divide up responsibility for the noon-6PM open house, but make sure at least one of you will be at the poster at all times while the public is present.

April 6 Thursday
Week 12

Lecture on Starting a Business

[.pdf notes]

DUE: Third submission of lab notebooks (in box outside Maher's office).

Reminder:  there will be no seminar meeting next week on April 13.

Reminder:  any groups that would like their Standards and Constraints papers re-graded should plan to submit the revisions before the last week of class.

 

March 30 Thursday
Week 11

Lecture on professional oral presentation tips.

 

March 23 Thursday
Week 10

Guest Lecture by Alyce Maas, MSU Career Services

Ms. Maas will give a presentation about interviewing techniques and tips, plus an overview of the services available to students before and immediately after graduation, and the services available to alumni.  Note:  Carina Beck was the substitute presenter.

DUE:  Updated project web pages (online)

 

March 16 Thursday
 

Spring Break (No seminar meeting this day).

 

March 9 Thursday
Week 9

No seminar meeting this day.

DUE:

  1. Mid-term Self and Peer Review grades

  2. Second submission of lab notebooks (in box outside Maher's office).  I will plan to have these graded by Friday afternoon.

 

March 2 Thursday
Week 8

Patents and Intellectual Property Legal Issues

Antoinette M. Tease, Attorney at Law, will give a presentation in the regular classroom regarding intellectual property matters.  Ms. Tease is a registered patent attorney from Billings (www.teaselaw.com).

As a courtesy to our guest, please try to arrive at class on time.  Thank you!

Reminder:  your confidential self and peer review grade sheets are due next Thursday.  Please download and print the form.  If you have more than two team partners, please duplicate the response sheet as needed.

 

February 23 Thursday
Week 7

Field Trip to Wavelength Electronics, Bozeman

We will meet at 2:50PM in the service driveway southeast of Cobleigh Hall (just off South Sixth Av.) and carpool to the Wavelength facility (51 Evergreen Drive, Suite B,  http://www.teamwavelength.com/support/map.asp).  The tour of the circuit production facilities should last about 45 minutes, then we will return to campus.  Please respond to my email regarding the carpool arrangements.

February 16 Thursday
Week 6

No seminar meeting this day.

DUE:  Draft project web pages (online)

 

February 9 Thursday
Week 5

Prototyping methods, PCB concepts

Reminders: 

  • I will re-grade your Standards and Constraints papers if you are not satisfied with the original grade.  Please resubmit the papers after you have made corrections.

  • We will be taking a field trip to Wavelength Electronics on Feb 23.

February 2 Thursday
Week 4

Prototyping methods

DUE:  Engineering Standards and Constraints paper (hand in at class time)

DUE:  Lab notebooks (in box outside Maher's office)

Reminders: 

  • Your team's draft project web pages must be ready by Feb. 16.

  • This seminar will not meet on Feb. 16.

  • We will be taking a field trip to Wavelength Electronics on Feb 23.

January 26 Thursday
Week 3

Engineering design considerations (cont.)

Assignment:

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The Engineering Standards and Constraints paper (one per group) is due next week (2/2/2006).  Your paper must be prepared using the IEEE stylesheet (.doc).  Latex stylesheets are available from:  http://www.ieee.org/portal/pages/pubs/transactions/stylesheets.html

 

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January 19 Thursday
Week 2

Engineering design considerations; written communication hints.

[Tech Writing Hints (pdf)]  [Tech Writing Hints (html)]

[Lab Journal Hints (pdf)]  [Lab Journal Hints (html)]

DUE:  Milestone specifications and dates (each student) memo report.

Assignments:

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Try out the project file folders and web page folders (instructions).  The first draft web pages are due 2/16/2006.

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January 12 Thursday
Week 1

First class meeting:  Course overview; discussion of project procedures and management guidelines.

Assignments:

  1. Check in with your sponsor and/or faculty advisor.

  2. Obtain the 521 Cobleigh lab door combination from Sharon in the ECE Office.

  3. Sign up for a locker (if necessary).  One per project.

  4. Each student must decide upon two Tracking Milestones.  On or before January 19, you must submit a memo report via email to rob.maher@montana.edu giving the subsystem to be demonstrated and the due date for each of the two Milestones.