LAB RULES AND POLICIES
1. You will occasionally be dealing
with live 120 VAC lines during this course. Carelessness can result in severe
shocks and/or electrocution. Be sure the instructor or TA inspects your circuit
assembly before you apply 120 VAC power to it. In the
event of an emergency, call x 3333.
2. Come to class prepared. Read over the experiment description before coming to lab, and answer any assigned pre-lab questions in your lab notebook. Get help, from other students, from the instructor, or from the TAs if required. Prepare in your notebook an itemized list of steps to follow.
3. Buy your lab notebook during the first week of class. Bring your notebook to every class. Take a lot of notes on your experiments in your notebook. You will rely heavily on these notes towards the end of the term. The lab notebook is where you record information directly in the lab, and where you work on designs. It is not meant to be a finished piece of work like a lab report or a paper, or even homework. You do not record information in the lab on other paper and then transfer it later to your lab notebook. The lab notebook contain partial designs, speculations, redesigns, revisions and corrections. This does not reflect poorly on your work; it is what is expected. It should be a fairly complete, if rough, record of your work in the laboratory. It should contain corrections to designs based on experiments as well as results and comments on what was necessary to get the circuits to work.
4. You will be working in groups of two; each group will be assigned a number. Make sure your notebook contains your name and group number.
5. Food and drinks are not allowed in the laboratory.
6. Come to class prepared and on time. Leave your lab notebook with the completed pre-lab in the box at the front of the room. Late or incomplete pre-labs will result in reduced grade. The first hour of the lab will be reserved for ILS activities (with the exception of the evening lab). Collect your experiment supplies and circuit boards from the technician counter as soon as the ILS is completed. The teaching assistants will return your lab notebooks at this time.
7. Wire your circuitry neatly. This will result in better circuit performance and easier debugging. Draw your circuits in your lab notebook, and work from your drawing when you assemble the circuits. If your circuit does not work correctly, first check your wiring against your circuit drawing, then ask the instructor or TA for help. See the "Circuit Debugging Hints" page.
8. Use current-limiting resistors in circuits requiring LED's.
9. Try not to blow too many transistors and diodes.
In summary: have fun; take some risks; take notes; be prepared; review; be careful in the lab.
Department of Electrical Engineering, Northeastern University.
Last updated: 5 Jan 05.