International Journal of Electrical Engineering & Education

This paper describes the interdisciplinary courses in Control Engineering being developed at IIT - Bombay. The need for such interdisciplinary courses is explained in the beginning, and the three basic interdisciplinary courses in Control Engineering are discussed. Then are described advanced level and specialized courses offered by various departments.

In this paper we attempt to identify the major problems encountered in teaching Electronics and Communications Engineering at the Papua New Guinea University of Technology. We describe how we are attempting to make our presentation of the course material more relevant to the needs of the students.

A configuration of clear plastic gears demonstrates phasor addition of a negative set in variable phase to a fixed positive sequence. Overlays are suggested for presenting symmetrical component theory without mathematics, whilst indicating applications. The description indicates the method of construction.

A method is described of presenting Q so that its basic significance can be understood. The point is made that Q is a parameter of any device able to store energy. It can then easily be seen why it is applicable to both resonant circuits and single non-resonant components.

A non-contact method of measuring the linear displacement and velocity of a moving body with time has been constructed and tested. The method is particularly applicable for laboratory measurements and uses photoelectric devices spaced along the track which are activated by a light source on the moving body.

Examples are given to show that the simplicity in configuration attainable by conformal transformation can outweigh the modifications which are required in the characteristics of the medium when field components in a third dimension are present.

Transient stability of multimachine power systems is discussed using the concepts of modern control theory e.g. state variables, Lyapunov functions. The points discussed include the mathematical model, dimension of the state space, effect of damping on stability, validity of neglecting transfer conductances, also suggestions for further work in the area.

The condition for oscillation for a Y-type oscillator whose topology is suitable for microstrip circuits is derived in terms of the cascading parameters. This derivation may be used as an instructive example demonstrating the application of the cascading parameters.

Short circuit, load characteristics and regulation of secondary power of a Triductor and use of control current for power regulation are discussed. Use of the circuit as a voltage regulator and amplifier are mentioned.

For fault studies users of commercial programs lose a feeling for the system under study because of remoteness and lack of understanding of the working program. To overcome this deficiency a program is written in BASIC for a PDP8/e mini-computer. The main feature of this program is the form of questions and answers so that users waste no time in preparing required forms or reading instructions. Furthermore users continuously follow the progress of the program calculations.

An analyser which provides performance characteristics of a 3-phase induction motor from its equivalent circuit is described. The resistances and inductances in the circuit are replaced respectively by capacitances and resistances in a circuit analogue. This circuit analogue is particularly economical for highly inductive, e.g. power networks.

Electrochemical potential is discussed in terms of concepts that are commonly invoked in the study of semiconductors. It is shown how electrochemical potential provides a natural and fundamental framework for characterizing a PN junction at equilibrium and in the steady state.

A simple method for proving the Compensation Theorem for linear active networks is presented and the sensitivity of the current in a branch to changes in impedance of the branch is defined and an expression obtained.