Linear Circuits Laboratory

Course Description

EEL3115L — Linear Circuits Laboratory is an upper-division (3xxx) college-credit laboratory course in Florida's Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering programs at FSU, UF, UCF, USF, FIU, FAU, FAMU, and FIT. The "L" suffix denotes laboratory; the course typically pairs with a corequisite linear-circuits lecture course (EEL3111 or institutional equivalent). Students conduct hands-on experiments to verify and apply linear circuit theory: DC and AC circuit analysis; first- and second-order transient response; sinusoidal steady-state analysis; frequency response; and introduction to operational amplifier circuits.

Successful completion contributes to ABET accreditation requirements for engineering programs and supports continuation into upper-division electrical engineering coursework: electronics (EEL3304), signals and systems (EEL3135), digital systems, and electromagnetics.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of EEL3115L, students will be able to:

• Operate standard electronics laboratory equipment safely and correctly: digital multimeter (DMM); function/signal generator; oscilloscope (analog and digital storage); regulated DC power supply; DC and AC source measurement units.
• Construct physical circuit prototypes on solderless breadboards using discrete passive components (resistors, capacitors, inductors), discrete active components (op-amps), and proper power-supply connections.
• Verify fundamental DC circuit theorems: Ohm's Law; Kirchhoff's voltage and current laws; Thévenin's theorem; Norton's theorem; superposition; maximum power transfer.
• Verify first-order and second-order transient response: RC and RL circuit step response; RLC circuit response (overdamped, critically damped, underdamped); time constants; natural frequency and damping ratio.
• Verify sinusoidal steady-state behavior: phasor analysis; impedance and admittance; frequency response; resonance; phase relationships.
• Apply operational amplifier (op-amp) circuit fundamentals: inverting and non-inverting amplifiers; summing amplifier; difference amplifier; integrator and differentiator; introduction to active filters.
• Use circuit simulation software: SPICE-based simulators (LTSpice, Multisim) for pre-lab verification and post-lab comparison.
• Conduct experimental error analysis: identify error sources (component tolerance, instrument accuracy, parasitic effects); compare theoretical, simulated, and measured results; calculate percent error.
• Document experimental work through formal lab reports: clear methodology; data tables; appropriate graphs; analysis; conclusions; references.
• Apply electrical safety: safe voltage handling; isolation transformer use; ESD control; component thermal limits; fuse protection.

Optional Outcomes

• Apply introductory data acquisition using LabVIEW or Python instrumentation control.
• Apply introductory printed circuit board (PCB) design awareness for small projects.

Major Topics

Required Topics

• Lab Safety and Equipment Operation: Safe voltage handling; ESD control; equipment connections; instrument settings (range, coupling, triggering); cleanup and equipment care.
• DC Circuit Verification: Ohm's Law; KVL and KCL; series and parallel combinations; voltage and current dividers; Thévenin and Norton equivalents; superposition; maximum power transfer.
• RC and RL Transient Response: Step response; time constant measurement (1/e or 0.632 V_final); pulse response; transition between regions.
• RLC Circuit Response: Damping regimes (overdamped, critically damped, underdamped); natural frequency; damping ratio; quality factor (Q).
• Sinusoidal Steady-State Analysis: Phasor representation; impedance of R, L, C; series and parallel impedance combinations; voltage and current phase relationships.
• Frequency Response: Bode plots (magnitude and phase); cutoff frequency; passband and stopband; first-order and second-order filter responses.
• Resonance: Series resonance; parallel resonance; resonant frequency; bandwidth; quality factor.
• Operational Amplifiers: Ideal op-amp model; inverting amplifier; non-inverting amplifier; summing amplifier; difference amplifier; integrator and differentiator; introductory active filters.
• Circuit Simulation: SPICE syntax fundamentals; LTSpice or Multisim use; comparison of simulated and measured results; troubleshooting discrepancies.
• Error Analysis and Lab Reporting: Component tolerance; instrument accuracy; significant figures; percent error calculation; clear lab report structure (introduction, theory, methodology, data, analysis, conclusions).

Resources & Tools

• Companion lecture textbook: James W. Nilsson and Susan A. Riedel Electric Circuits (Pearson); Allan H. Robbins and Wilhelm C. Miller Circuit Analysis: Theory and Practice (Cengage)
• Lab equipment: digital multimeters; function generators; oscilloscopes (typically Tektronix or Keysight); regulated DC power supplies; component kits (resistors, capacitors, inductors, op-amps)
• Circuit simulation software: LTSpice (free); Multisim; PSpice
• Solderless breadboards and prototyping supplies
• ABET-accredited program lab manual (institutionally developed)

Career Pathways

EEL3115L is a foundational laboratory course supporting careers across electrical engineering and related fields:

• Electrical Engineer at Florida aerospace, defense, semiconductor, power, telecommunications, and consumer electronics employers.
• Electronics Engineer in design, test, or production roles.
• Power Systems Engineer at Florida utilities (Duke Energy Florida, Florida Power & Light, Tampa Electric, JEA, OUC) and consulting firms.
• Aerospace Electrical Engineer at Florida aerospace contractors (Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, L3Harris, Boeing).
• Continuation toward graduate study in electrical engineering specialties (power, signals/systems, electromagnetics, electronics, computer engineering).

Special Information

Course Format

Typically 1 credit, 45 contact hours (one 2-3 hour lab session per week for 14–15 weeks). Some institutions structure the course at 3 credits combining lecture and lab.

Co-requisite Lecture

EEL3115L is typically co-required with the lecture course EEL3111 (Linear Circuits) or institutional equivalent. Students must enroll in or have credit for the lecture.

Upper-Division Status

EEL3115L is upper-division (3xxx) and is typically restricted to students admitted to the B.S. Electrical Engineering or B.S. Computer Engineering program at the offering institution. Pre-engineering students at Florida College System institutions typically take this course only after transferring to a SUS engineering program.

ABET Accreditation

EEL3115L contributes to ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) accreditation requirements for B.S. EE programs. Florida public university EE programs are ABET-accredited.

Prerequisites Caveat

Specific prerequisites vary by institution. Common requirements include completion of physics (PHY2049 with calculus-based EM) and mathematics (calculus through differential equations, MAP2302). Students should consult institution-specific prerequisite charts.