Help Picking Courses in 4th year. want to do PCB design.

[boatman]

Hello All,

I am picking courses for 4th year electrical engineering.
I want to do PCB level design, and need help picking courses.

Here is the link to the courses offered.
I need 4 of each list.

https://www.ryerson.ca/calendar/2018-2019/programs/feas/electrical/professional_table/

Table I
COE 528   Object Oriented Eng Analysis and Design
COE 718   Embedded Systems Design
COE 768   Computer Networks
ELE 707   Sensors and Measurements
ELE 714   System Testing and Design-for-Testability
ELE 719   Fundamentals of Robotics
ELE 724   CMOS Mixed-Mode Circuits and Systems
ELE 734   Low Power Digital Integrated Circuits
ELE 745   Digital Communication Systems
ELE 746   Power Systems Analysis
ELE 747   Advanced Electric Drives
ELE 754   Power Electronics
ELE 792   Digital Signal Processing
ELE 809   Digital Control System Design
ELE 829   System Models and Identification
ELE 882   Intro to Digital Image Processing
Table II
COE 608   Computer Organization and Architecture
COE 628   Operating Systems
COE 838   Systems-on-Chip Design
COE 865   Advanced Computer Networks
ELE 709   Real-Time Computer Control Systems
ELE 725   Basics of Multimedia Systems
ELE 801   Electric Vehicles
ELE 804   Radio-Frequency Circuits and Systems
ELE 806   Alternative Energy Systems
ELE 815   Wireless Communications
ELE 819   Control of Robotic Manipulators
ELE 846   Power Systems Protection and Control
ELE 861   Microwave Engineering
ELE 863   VLSI Circuits for Data Communications
ELE 884   Photonics
ELE 885   Optical Communication Systems
ELE 888   Intelligent Systems

[thm_w]

Embedded systems design had some PCB design content for me, but still very little and I suspect that was entirely the choice of the instructor. Maybe sensors and measurements, and CMOS mixed mode, but you'd have to look at the course outline. Probably better off choosing whatever topics interest you, and working on your own PCB project to learn more (which could be related to what you are doing in the course or not).

[Kasper]

Read the descriptions for the courses and talk to the profs. When I did that, the profs enthusiastically tried to sell me their courses and it made for good first impressions.

[tggzzz]

You can easily do PCB design at home on your computer. Choose a small home project, design it, make it. Most of your time will be spent learning which buttons to press.

At university you should choose courses that can't easily be done at home. Especially include those that teach the basic theory of the subjects that interest you.  Avoid those that spend too much time learning how to drive software applications, since you probably won't use that at your first job, and the knowledge only has a half-life of three years or so.

Speedread "Profession" by Isaac Asimov;  it is available on the web.

[westfw]

I want to do PCB level design, and need help picking courses.

PCB level design isn't usually the topic of college courses.  Too practical.  You could DO PCB designs for homework and term or senior projects, the profs will probably sigh and claim you're learning the wrong skills, but YOU'LL still learn something...
That said, and without detailed descriptions of the classses, the following look more in tune with your interests than others:
ELE 714   System Testing and Design-for-Testability (Please!  if it's not all "software")COE 718   Embedded Systems Design  (chances of exposure to practical circuitry!)ELE 724   CMOS Mixed-Mode Circuits and Systems (ditto.  Understanding the relationships between analog and digital circuitry, hopefully.)
ELE 707   Sensors and Measurements (ditto (The number of people who think they can connect a 16-bit ADC to their Arduino and be all set for precision measurement without dealing with other factors is ... sad.))


ELE 846   Power Systems Protection and Control (unless they're talking about generators a three-phase motors and such)COE 608   Computer Organization and Architecture (nothing to do with PCBs.  But really important, IMO!)

[OwO]

These are the ones I would pick.

ELE 724   CMOS Mixed-Mode Circuits and Systems
ELE 745   Digital Communication Systems
ELE 792   Digital Signal Processing
COE 838   Systems-on-Chip Design
ELE 804   Radio-Frequency Circuits and Systems
ELE 861   Microwave Engineering
ELE 863   VLSI Circuits for Data Communications

[AndyC_772]

PCB level design of what?

If I were you, I'd try to pick a mix of subjects:

- some which are specifically relevant to the kind of industry you think you might want to work in, and

- some which cover issues and techniques which crop up in many different places, and which will give you transferrable skills.

For example: I mostly design sensors for the automotive industry, and prior to that, I worked on a lot of high temperature, harsh environment communications products. Want something that can live in an engine bay? I'm your nerd.

With that in mind, the modules I'd personally choose, which (based on the title alone, of course!) I think would be most relevant to my job today would be:

ELE 707   Sensors and Measurements
This is what I do all day, every day, so duh.

ELE 792   Digital Signal Processing
Likely to involve a lot of maths, but the language, terminology and techniques introduced here crop up so often, and across so many areas, that failing to study DSP would leave a huge gaping hole in your knowledge. Seriously, do this one regardless of where you think you'll end up.

ELE 745   Digital Communication Systems
Lots of useful stuff here about bus types, fault tolerance, bandwidth, compression, SNR, buffering, timing... provided all this stuff is covered on the course, this is another one you really can't afford to miss out on.

ELE 754   Power Electronics
Everything has a power supply, and thermal management is a big deal which surprisingly few engineers seem to really understand.

COE 608   Computer Organization and Architecture
If you end up writing firmware, you'll need this background just to understand the data sheet for a modern CPU.

ELE 801   Electric Vehicles
Probably the biggest commercial opportunity out there for your generation of engineers, IMHO.

ELE 806   Alternative Energy Systems
Essential for anyone with a requirement for energy that doesn't come from coal or gas, ie. absolutely every single last one of us. If you're able to learn about the advantages and (crucially!) disadvantages of alternative energy sources, then you owe it to yourself (and everyone you might ever influence) to do so.

ELE 815   Wireless Communications
Very few engineers actually design radio transceivers compared to the number who use them, but even if you don't become an RF guru, wireless comms is a growth area that's here to stay, and you'll end up using radio whatever you end up doing.

[bugrobotics]

I can't say what courses to take as the quality of a course always depended upon the professor. 

I'll echo what others have mentioned.  If you want to learn PCB layout and design workflow then get busy doing just that.  Design circuits or, if that's too advanced at the moment, copy circuits from any number of sources and design some PCBs.  When your first roadblock occurs practice the  keystone skill of searching for an answer on your own.  Good luck!

[RomDump]

Hello All,

I am picking courses for 4th year electrical engineering.
I want to do PCB level design, and need help picking courses.

Ah the Zeal of an undergraduate. Sorry to burst your bubble but Ryerson doesn't require PCB design for it's undergraduate courses the last time I checked. However, during your final year project, (Capstone), you may be able to do some PCB design but you will have to learn by yourself.

Some local colleges (Humber and Seneca as examples) have PCB design courses but they tend to be tied to a particular vendor as well they are optional.

See ELE 700 & ELE 800 at Ryerson.


 

[tggzzz]

Some local colleges (Humber and Seneca as examples) have PCB design courses but they tend to be tied to a particular vendor as well they are optional.

And with that we are back to the point made by Isaac Asimov in his short story "Profession". Those points are as valid now as they are when the story was written.

The story is online at https://www.abelard.org/asimov.php The OP really should speed read it.