Facilities & Labs

Lab Director: Frank Smith

Courses Offered: ECE 4890/L, various courses in lighting and day lighting taught by the department of architecture, including ARC332, ECE 3201 L Instrumentation and senior projects.

Laboratory Size: 1754 square feet

Average # of students per year: 75

Lab Function:

Demonstration of lights, light sources and lighting controllers; Measurements and techniques to measure and characterize light and light sources; design, characterization and evaluation of lighting controls; measurements of various illumination related hardware; special senior projects in instrumentation and development of special measurements techniques.

The lab will also serves local industry and the California Energy Commission by testing, measurements and evaluation of lighting systems.

Lab Status:

This laboratory is being used as a Lighting and Photometric Laboratory where experiments can be performed on lighting systems and measurements can be made on the photometric characteristics of light sources and the electrical characteristics of lighting controls and sensors. A summary of the equipment presently in the laboratory is shown below.

Light spectrophotometers, constant current power supply for testing batteries and lamps, RLC meter, calibrated light sources (NIST traceable), circuit board design software and E-size plotter, soldering station and microscope, variable wavelength light generator and precision light wavelength measuring system, software for analyzing light sources in an integrating sphere from 6 inches to 5 feet in diameter, 60 channel data acquisition system, lamp displays, LEDs and batteries, luminance meters, weighing scales, pressure calibrator, sensors such as strain gages and thermocouples. There are Computers supporting LabVIEW, MATLAB, and Eagle software, programmable AC power supply for generating AC signals with variable harmonic content, power system analyzers for measuring harmonic content and power factor. A chiller and oven provide controlled temperature for environmental testing. There is also a precision current pulse generator with voltage feedback, flow test station using rotameters, large motor monitoring station including motor starters, power control relays, and PLCs for controlling motors, tensiometer. There are two oscilloscopes 4 channel dual analog/digital modes, HP universal counter, Keithley source meter, lighting controls, thermocouples, strain gages, electronic parts, and tools.

Lab Directors: Phyllis Nelson

Courses Offered: Course projects

Laboratory Size: 1256 square feet

Average # of students per year:

Lab Function:

To allow students to supplement their undergraduate and graduate courses in fiber optics and lasers with meaningful laboratories to extend their practical hands-on experience with these new and important technologies.

Lab Status:

• SEM - Jeol-6010 Plus/LA.
• Jandel RM3-AR Resistivity Meter
• Rudolph Research / Auto EL.
• Veeco Dektak 6M Stylus Profiler.
• Leica Microscope.
• Scanning Tunnel Microscope.
• Denton Desk V Vacuum.

Lab Directors: Sean Monemi, Dennis Fitzgerald, Ha Le

Courses Offered: ECE1101L, ECE2101L, ECE3810L, ECE4821/L, ECE4822/L, ECE4868L, ECE4869L, ECE 5700, ETE1021, ETE2801L, ETE3441L, ETE4521L, ETE4751L, ETE4801L, ETE4821L

Laboratory Size: 1226 square feet

Average # of students per year: 428

Lab Function:

Provides equipment for ECE Core Power lab (ECE3810L), Power Electronics (ECE4868L, ECE4869L) , and can be used for lower level networks (ECE1101L) and for non-major labs.

Lab Status:

• This lab houses 12 stations each equipped with the following:
  • Lab-Volt Motor Control Stationswith swappable modules including: DC Machine, Synchronous Machine, Induction Motor, Dynamometer
  • PC for data acquisition and analysis
  • Agilent 33210A 10MHz function/arbitrary waveform generator
  • Tektronix CDM250 Digital Multimeter
  • Additional Multimeter
  • Power Supplies
  • Keysight DSO2024A Oscilloscope
  • Digital counter
• Digital Wattmeters
• Tachometers
• Various Motors and Generators
• Two 80" SHARP monitors equipped with full instructor workstation for control
• Power World Simulator

Lab Directors: Sean Monemi

Courses Offered: Course projects

Laboratory Size: 360 square feet

Average # of students per year: 100

Lab Function: Smart Grid Technologies

Provides high-tech equipment for research and project development in the areas of Smart Grid and Power Systems. This lab supports hands-on experience for undergraduate upper division courses in power as well as graduate level courses. The supported courses are ECE 421L, ECE 422L, ECE 570 as well as Sr. Projects and Master thesis/project.

Lab Status:

This lab houses the following equipment:

• Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS) for Power System Analysis
• Schweitzer SEL 311L - Line Current Differential Protection and Automation System (three tower racks)
• 3-phase tester (2 units)
• Desktop computer with two large screen

Lab Directors: Dennis Fitzgerald, Phyllis Nelson

Courses Offered: ECE1101L, ECE 2031L, ECE2101L, ECE3101L, ECE4868L, ETE2011L, ETE2041L, ETE2101L

Laboratory Size: 1325 square feet

Average # of students per year: 590

Lab Function:

A general purpose electrical engineering laboratory which support ECE/ETE sophomore level core courses as well as service courses for non-majors.

Lab Status:

15 stations each equipped with the following:

• PC for data acquisition and analysis
• Keysight 33210A 10MHz function/arbitrary waveform generator
• Keysight DSO-X 2022A 200MHz Digital Storage Oscilloscope
• Keysight U3401A Dual Display Multimeter
• Keysight E363A Triple Output Power Supply
• Additional Power Supplies
• Additional Multimeter

Lab Directors: Mark Bailey

Courses Offered: Support every course

Laboratory Size: 871 square feet

Average # of students per year: 500

Lab Function:

This lab is an open lab where all ECE students may use computers to do their assignments. The students can access internet in this lab in search of information.

Lab Status:

This room houses 30 PCs and an LCD Projector. Each PC is loaded with the following software:

• Alertus Desktop
• Cadence PSD
• EAGLE Layout Editor

Lab Directors: Phyllis Nelson

Courses Offered: EGR 4810, EGR 4820, EGR 4830

Laboratory Size: 1429 square feet

Average # of students per year: 200

Lab Function:

This laboratory is open for the students to design, implement and test their team projects.

Lab Status:

This laboratory houses six benches equipped with the followings:

• Teledyne LeCroy Wavesurfer 3074 750MHz Digital Oscilloscope
• Keysight DSOX2022A 200MHz Oscilloscope
• Keysight 33210A 10MHz function/arbitrary waveform generator
• Keysight E3630A Triple Output Power Supply
• Function Generator
• Additional Power Supplies

This room also houses 24 lockers for the students to store their equipment and tools.

Lab Directors: Phyllis Nelson

Courses Offered: ECE1310, ECE2310, ECE 3310, ECE 4305L, ECE 4310, ECE 4319

Laboratory Size: 1537 square feet

Average # of students per year: 1380

Lab Function:

This lab is an open lab where all ECE students may use computers to do their assignments. The students can access internet in this lab in search of information.

Lab Status:

This room houses 43 New networked  PCs and one printer. Each PC is loaded with the following software:

• Alertus Desktop
• AGi32
• Cadence PSD
• EAGLE Layout Editor

Lab Directors: Jenny Yu

Courses Offered: ECE 2200L, ECE 3200L, ECE 4201L, ETE3351L

Laboratory Size: 1528 square feet

Average # of students per year: 496

Lab Function:

This lab supports experiments in the area of Analog Electronics at the Junior level. It also serves as a general purpose electrical engineering laboratory.

Lab Status:

This room houses 13 laboratory benches equipped with:

• PC for data acquisition and analysis
• Keysight DSO-X 2022A 200MHz Digital Storage Oscilloscope with built-in function generator
• Agilent U3401A Dual Display Multimeter
• Power Supplies
• Additional function generator

Lab Directors: Anas Salah Eddin, Tamer Omar

Courses Offered: ECE2200L, ECE2300L, ECE3200L, ECE 3300L, ECE3301L, ECE3320L, ECE4201L

Laboratory Size: 1446 square feet

Average # of students per year: 637

Lab Function:

This is our fundamental laboratory in microprocessors, microcontrollers and embedded systems. It also serves as a general purpose Digital Electronics laboratory.

Lab Status:

This lab houses 15 stations each equipped with the following:

• PC for data acquisition and analysis
• Agilent DSO-X 2022A 200MHz Digital Storage Oscilloscope with built-in function generator
• Agilent U3401A Dual Display Multimeter
• Additional multimeter
• Power Supplies
• Additional function generator

Lab Directors: James Kang, Zekeriya Aliyazicioglu

Courses Offered: ECE2300L, ECE 3101L, ECE4305L, ECE 4304L

Laboratory Size: 1321 square feet

Average # of students per year: 756

Laboratory Data Sheet

Lab Function:

The purpose of this lab is to provide necessary support to the lab classes that are associated with popular digital option senior level design courses such as ECE 3101L (Discrete Time Signals and Systems), ECE 4708L (Digital Signal Processing Lab), ECE 4304L (State Machine Design) and ECE 4300 (Computer Architecture).

Lab Status:

This room houses fourteen laboratory benches each equipped with:

• PC for data acquisition and analysis
• Agilent 33210A 10MHz function/arbitrary waveform generator
• Agilent DSO-X 2022A 200MHz Digital Storage Oscilloscope
• Agilent E3630A Triple Output Power Supply
• Agilent U3401A Dual Display Multimeter
• Additional Power Supplies
• Additional Multimeter

Lab Directors: Rajan Chandra, Mohamed Rafiquzzaman

Courses Offered: ECE2300L, ECE3301L, ECE4303L

Laboratory Size: 1349 square feet

Average # of students per year: 794

Lab Function:

This is a laboratory for teaching computer networks, including both local area networks and wide area networks. This lab is also used to teach hardware and firmware laboratories.

Lab Status:

This room is equipped with 14 stations each equipped with the following:

• PC for data acquisition and analysis
• Agilent 33210A 10MHz function/arbitrary waveform generator
• Agilent DSO-X 2022A 200MHz Digital Storage Oscilloscope
• Agilent E3630A Triple Output Power Supply
• Tektronix DMM 4020 Digital Multimemter
• Additional Power Supplies
• Additional function generator

Lab Directors: Thomas Ketseoglou, Anas Salah Eddin

Courses Offered: ECE4705L, ECE5970L, ETE3351L, ETE4351L

Laboratory Size: 1434 square feet

Average # of students per year: 262

Lab Function:

To provide support for:

• Analog and digital communication laboratories in ECE and ETE.
• Radio frequency (RF) design
• System simulation and modeling analysis
• Signal analysis and modeling
• Senior and graduate project

Lab Status:

It has twelve working stations equipped with:

• PC for data acquisition and analysis
• Agilent 33120A 15MHz function/arbitrary waveform generator
• Rigol DSA815 Spectrum Analyzer
• Tektronix CPS 250 Triple Output Power Supply
• Rigol DP1308 A Programmable DC Power Supply
• Rigol DS2202A 200MHz Digital Oscilloscope
• Pulse Generator
• Rigol DG5071 function/arbitrary waveform generator
• Additional function generator
• Pulse generator

Lab Directors: Phyllis Nelson

Courses Offered: Course Projects

Laboratory Size: 268 square feet

Average # of students per year: TBD

Lab Function:

It provides support for 3D printing and circuit board printing.

Lab Status:

• Airwolf HD2X 3D Printer
• LPKF S63 Prototype Milling Machine

Lab Directors: Hyoung Soo Kim, Gerald Herder

Courses Offered: ECE4250, ECE 4251,ETE2801L, ETE4371, or ETE438L

Laboratory Size: 1520 square feet

Average # of students per year: 58

Lab Function:

Room 9-529 is the Radio-Frequency Laboratory. It currently supports a total of eight undergraduate, technology and graduate courses in the areas of RF, microwave, applied electromagnetics and antenna theory. It provides hands-on experience in measurement techniques at RF/microwave frequencies ranging from 10 MHz to 18 GHz. It has eight working stations equipped with signal generators, slotted lines, waveguides, RF components, VSWR meters, and power meters. The laboratory has six modern network analyzers, four reflection/transmission test units, and a spectrum analyzer for extensive microwave circuit design and characterization up to 18 GHz. It also has an anechoic chamber for antenna and EMI/RFI measurements.

Lab Status:

• Three Vector Network Analyzers
• Two Spectrum Analyzers
• Six RF power meters
• Three RF Power sensors
• Three DC Power Supplies
• Ten Sweep Oscillators (at least 10) with multiple plug-ins covering 2-20GHz, slotted lines
• RF signal generators
• Antenna chamber
• Additional microwave equipment

Lab Directors: Mark Bailey

Courses Offered: Supports every course

Laboratory Size: 1011 square feet

Average # of students per year: 800

Lab Function:

This laboratory provides the necessary equipment for approximately 800 students per year who work on Projects.

Lab Status:

This lab is an open lab where all ECE, EMET and other students may use basic electronic test equipment and instrumentation. Many students work in groups, doing extra projects to develop and support understanding of class and lab assignments. Students taking Senior Project have priority over others. This lab is open Monday through Friday. Presently there are 14 laboratory benches .This room, also, houses a PLD programmer.

• Oscilloscope
• Function generators
• Power supplies
• Digital counters
• Digital multimeters

1. Start promptly and on time.
2. Reports are due at the start of the period.
3. Keep the top of your bench as free from unnecessary apparatus as possible.
4. Be certain the apparatus is set up and connected properly before beginning. When circuits using 120v 60~line power are to be operated, they must first be checked by the instructor before the power is turned on.
5. No electrical or electronic equipment is ever to be energized, except when an electronics instructor is present in the laboratory.
6. The experiments are not especially dangerous. However, should an accident occur, report it immediately to your instructor. The best accident preventatives are a thorough knowledge of the experiment and a serious positive attitude toward lab work.
7. Know the exact location of first-aid kits, fire-fighting equipment and the nearest telephone.
8. Know who to contact in case of emergency.
9. Smoking or eating is never permitted inside the laboratory.
10. "Goofing off" or "horseplay" has no place in the laboratory. Student who persist in this behavior are subject to expulsion from the laboratory.
11. Leave the bench and equipment clean at the close of each laboratory.
12. ALWAYS be sure, all of the equipment is turned off at the end of every lab period.
13. Never leave the lab before the end of the period without permission from the instructor.
14. Know who is responsible for the lab.

We are worried about two kinds of safety: safety of you and safety of the equipment.

You

The flow of electricity can adversely affect your body in at least three ways: it can cause muscle spasms and paralysis; it can electrolyze water in your blood and produce gas bubbles; and it can burn the skin. Very little current can do all of these things, although how much real damage there is depends upon what part of your body is affected. A temporarily paralyzed arm isnÕ too serious, but a paralyzed heart is fatal. As little as 50 milliamps (0.05 amp) can do this if it passes, say, from one arm to another, a path which includes the heart. One tenth of this amount of current will give you an unpleasant shock. Burns are produced on the skin if there is sparking.

First aid for someone who is unconscious from electrical shock starts by removing cause of the shock if it is still present. Disconnect the circuit, if possible. Try to separate the victim from the electrical circuit but do not take hold of him otherwise you may become part of the problem. If he is not breathing, give him artificial respiration. (Lung paralysis is common. Other organs may also be affected, but there is little you can do about them except to get a doctor as soon a as possible.)

When the victim is conscious, keep him comfortable, let him rest lying down, make sure a doctor has been called.

Prevention, though, is better. Avoid becoming a victim. Don't allow your body to come across any voltage. Don't touch any conductor unless you can be sure the circuit is disconnected. Even then, treat everything as if it were live. You can also reduce the chance of shock by working with only one hand, keeping the other hand behind your back. Even that may not always work. Almost all power circuits are connected to ground at some point. In the case of 120 volt AC as in wall plugs, one of the two conductors is grounded. With higher voltages, usually a center tap is grounded. With three-phase circuits, the neutral point is grounded. What this means is that you only need one conductor and a ground to complete the circuit. Standing on a concrete floor, with wet shoes, you only need to touch one wire to have a current path through your body.

Another way to get a surprise shock is from a charged capacitor. Capacitors (also called condensers) can store electrical energy for as much as a month in some cases. How much energy depends on the value of the capacitor and the voltage it was charged to. Treat capacitors as if they were charged even if nothing is connected to them.

If you get a shock, the amount of current that will flow through your body depends on the voltage you have come in contact with and your body resistance. Your body resistance depends mostly on how you have come in contact with the conductor. Most of your body resistance is skin resistance at the point of contact. If the skin is dry and the contact area is small (light pressure), your skin resistance will be high and the shock will be small. If your hands are sweaty (sweat is saltwater and saltwater is a good conductor) and the contact area is large, your resistance will be low, and the shock could be severe or deadly. Ordinary house voltage (120 volts AC) can kill. Remember, one side of it is connected to ground, so half the connection to you may already exist. Higher voltages are more likely to kill and also more likely to cause skin burns.

There are non-electrical hazards around electrical and electronic equipment. Storage batteries contain corrosive sulfuric acid in a package which can leak if you drop it. Also, these batteries give off explosive hydrogen gas when charging or discharging.

Cathode ray tubes ("picture tubes") have a high vacuum inside and are made of glass. This means that there is a pressure of near 15 pounds per square inch on the glass. There is over two tons of force on the face of a 24-inch television tube. If it breaks, broken glass will shoot out at high speeds. Oscilloscope tubes, although smaller, are no less dangerous. (There is always high voltage around cathode ray tubes, ranging from one or two thousand to thirty thousand volts. This voltage is almost always present because they store charge like a capacitor even when the equipment is turned off).

Low voltages are not "safe", particularly if much power is available. It may be true that you can't get a dangerous shock from a 12-volt battery, but a short circuit across such a battery will result in currents of several thousand amps, which is enough to melt, almost instantaneously, all but the heaviest copper wire, tools, finger rings, etc.

Equipment

Almost all electrical power is used on a "constant voltage" basis. That is, a constant potential difference is supplied, and the amount of current which flows is determined by the resistance of the load that is connected to the supply. Since power is proportional to the current (amps) multiplied by the potential difference (volts), the resistance of the load determines the amount of power taken from the supply.

Things are damaged when too much power is applied to a circuit for too long a time. Fuses and circuit breakers disconnect the power when current flow is too large, but don't expect them to protect much else. For example, a circuit protected by a 20-amp fuse will still deliver several hundred amps if it short-circuited before the fuse blows. The fuse will open in a fraction of a second, but a lot of damage may have already been done.

Use conductors and connectors appropriate for the amount of current flowing through them and make sure all the connections are tight. Power resistors usually get hot; some of them very hot. Do not touch them when the circuit is or has recently been energized. Before turning on the power supply, calculate how much power the resistor will have to dissipate and make sure that it is within the rating of the resistor.

Meters are expensive, delicate, and vulnerable. Voltmeters and ammeters usually look alike and work on the same basic principle, but they are completely different in their electrical characteristics and applications. A voltmeter has a high resistance so that a small current will flow through it when itÕ connected to the voltage to be measured. An ammeter, however, has a very low resistance so that there will be a small voltage across it when the current is flow through it. If an ammeter is connected across a voltage supply, very large currents will flow and can destroy the meter and/or harm the operator.

You can make fewer mistakes by remembering: Voltage across, current through. DO NOT connect an ammeter across the line. To measure current, you have to interrupt a current path by disconnecting a conductor. Do this when the circuit is DE-ENERGIZED. The ammeter is then connected in series with the circuit across the two open ends of the disconnected conductor.

Ammeter shunt switches give additional protection for ammeters. They act as short circuits in parallel (across) with the ammeter, and are opened when a reading is taken. When the ammeter shunt switch is properly used and a wiring error has been made, dangerous current will flow through the shunt and bypass the meter. Be sure the meter is connected so that itÕ full-scale reading is more than the voltage or current youÕe measuring.

Finally, the universal safety rule: If you're not certain, ask the instructor.

Miscellaneous Additional Items Related to Personal and Equipment Safety

1. Meters, if adjustable, should be placed on the highest possible range before energizing the circuit.
2. It is important that meters be hooked with the correct polarity.
3. All resistors should have the power ratings at least as much as the maximum expected power dissipation.
4. Should it be necessary to alter the circuit, de-energize it first.
5. For minor cuts and burns, there is a first aid kit available, locations are posted in all labs. Should the injuries be more severe, apply first aid , contact the health center immediately and, if possible take the victim there. If the victim cannot be moved, call 911. The instructor should be notified of the accident, its cause and any action taken.
6. Often fuses in equipment blow at inconvenient times. In any case, always obtain a replacement of the correct value.
7. When using a resistor, capacitor or inductor substitution box, be sure that you do not exceed its power and current ratings.
8. It is best to turn an ohmmeter off after you have completed your measurements. This will insure against the battery being run down if the leads are accidentally shorted together. On most VOM's and DMM's, the ohmmeter section can be de-energized by switching to a "volts" position. It is best to leave the range switch on the highest position if there is no ÒffÓposition.
9. In the event that you think an instrument is broken, notify the instructor and put a yellow tag on it (available in the front on the lab). Do not attempt to fix it. If upon entering the lab you find any of the equipment on your bench damaged, notify the instructor before attempting to use it.
10. Severe burns and fires result from careless use of soldering irons.
11. Poor insulation can do more than blow fuses; it can give someone a shock or start fires.
12. As a general rule, one should not replace components while circuits are energized.
13. To prevent dangerously high voltage, be careful never to reverse primary and secondary connections on transformers or disconnect inductive components while they are energized.