project suggestion

hello all,
I am a student of 2nd year Electronics and Communication Engg. and looking for a project related to the circuit diagram of any electronic system or device...please help me finding a topic or suggest any if you know!

thank you

I would focus on whatever it is that get you up in the morning. That thing that puts "sugar" in your step. That way, it won't be boring -- you'll be fired to do the hard work of researching it, designing it, pushing through the failures, so you can complete it.

As I am no mind reader, you will have to figure that our for yourself

BTW: You might start with the question "Why am I studying Engineering in the first place?" if it's for the "right" reasons, then you must have had a focus, a passion, something that drove you in this direction, right? If so, then let that inform your decision as to a project topic--if not, then I suggest you look for another major.

Combine your 2 components of electronics and communications - as a suggestion an FM demodulator using a LM565. As an additional circuit would be a FM modulator that your FM demodulator can decode. The FM modulator could be the LM 566 or a VCO consisting of a colpitts oscillator. That should keep you busy as a 2nd year student. I would make the demodulator useful by setting the reference frequency to 10.7 MHz - stand IF frequency for an FM receiver.

hi,

projects, projects, projects, it's something that always bugs students. my suggestion is, try looking back in your high school days, what particular project have you done that has gained attention or even won a medal. do it again but this time make all the necessary improvements. i did that in my booky years. it was a seismograph, and later did it again.

Is this the third or the fourth time I've given this same reply to this exact same question from yet another student ?

With respect and friendship, I am tempted to say, what is wrong with the young people of today ? Why don’t they think for themselves ?

Priyanka, you are a university student in your second year ? And you still need to ask for ideas ? ? ? ? ? (! ! ! ! !)

What are you interested in ? What do you have experience of ? What career field do you intend to go into ?

Stop expecting other people to do your thinking for you, and start thinking for yourself ! ! ! This will greatly enhance the quality of your work and obtain a better grade !

I honestly hope that my words help you.
All the best to you,
Frank.

Frank,
I think you are ready to blow a gasket. After teaching for 26 years at college level (by the way I am back working as an engineer again) I have learn that as each year passes the students need more and more guidance. Some get the spark and some don't. We used the term "spoon fed". Sometimes you need to spoon feed them until they can do it for themselves. I am betting that you are old school type where you were pushed into the lake, you either learn to swim or you were pulled out and told never to try swimming again. Our education systems need to teach students how to think !!! Teaching electronics and engineering was the easy part - teaching how to think was the hardest part. I think the best thing we can do as working Engineers is to mentor the young - they are our replacements.

Hi David,
Thanks for your comment. I fully agree with you. The school I went to did actually encourage independent thought, although academic study totally bored me.

But when (at the age of 39), I was faced with this exact same question for the project module of an electronic engineering course at technical college, it took me only a few seconds to review my general knowledge of various subjects that I knew something about, and could research more deeply, to decide to tackle "The History of Computers", (Though I subsequently whittled it down to "Understanding the PC.")

Everyone else in the class (a good mix from teenage to forties) came up with an idea within a few minutes. It would never occurr to me to ask anyone for ideas, so thus I ask these students "What interests you ?" etc. (I would expect the course tutor to put such ideas to the students anyway.)

Teaching on how to think, how to learn, how to research, how to plan, etc., and both logical and lateral thinking, would benefit most people.

hi frank,

i like this paragraph, Stop expecting other people to do your thinking for you, and start thinking for yourself ! ! ! This will greatly enhance the quality of your work and obtain a better grade !

it's a statement that gives an initial push for the student. but it can also be misconstrued by other students that we are not going to help, when in fact we are ready to help provided they first do the initial steps.

Hi Floy,
Thanks for your comment. The thing that irks me, is that students regularly come here and ask this exact same question, apparently having absolutely no ideas whatsoever of their own.

But in future I shall endeavour to encourage more positive questions !-]

...but, it occurred to me, (as I played devil's advocate on myself that most engineers, when working for someone else, are going to be given a job to do. So, they will, likely, not be coming up with things to do on their own. So, perhaps asking for ideas is not so farfetched. Perhaps it's no different than their future role as an employed engineer.

Good morning Steve,
I am usually the devil but today I'll be her assistant. I agree the employer gives us an assignment but usually doesn't give us ideas unless they want things done a certain way. At least that is how things work here at Delphi. Let me go back to the old days of when I was teaching Electrical Engineering Technology at a local college. Lab assignments - remember those??? It use to be students would jump right in, read the assignment and do the work. If they had problems they would try to figure out what was wrong. When all else failed they would ask the instructor for help. Now let us move to modern day ( yes I am old - I know what vacuum tubes are ), anyway, back to modern day. I would give out the assignments, the students would begin. 5 minutes later the screaming for help would start, and I would ask whats wrong ? The answer " it doesn't work". Now the fun begins, my typical Q&A session starts
Teacher - did you read the assignment ?
student - No
T - please read first sentence
S - The first sentence is "Read the entire assignment before starting the lab"
T- well
S - okay
So now the student does the reading - a little later
S - it doesn't work
T - did you read the assignment
S - yes
T - Did you read the troublehooting section?
S- no
T - why?
S - I didn't get that far
T - read the 2 step for troubleshooting - student reading "If it doesn't work re-check the wiring. Have your lab partner also check the wiring".

By the way the first step is " Did you turn on the power ?"

T - well did you follow the instructions?
S-no
T-why
S - I don't know
T -so check your wiring

And so it goes till they are finally done - meanwhile my blood pressure is rising - when does the semester end??? ARGGGGGG !!!

So goes the life of a Professor in an Electrical Engineering Technology school. So our new job is hand holding and spoon feeding. And we hope and pray that they "get it". What is the "it"? The spark and moviation to learn and excel in the field of electrical technology/engineering. Some got it some didn't. I find the ones that really got the bug went on to Engineering school.

I have retired from teaching and back into the Engineering field ( ahhh the life) life is good. The challenges, satisfactions and rewards of the working in the Engineering field.

I'll get off my soapbox for now.

Yeah, I've noticed that on other support forums as well. I'm probably not quite as old (TTL was just starting to come in when I first dove into electronics in my early teens.) But, I've seen the same sort of change. People consulting support forums after no real effort to solve the problem themselves--and in cases where even the tiniest bit of troubleshooting effort would have revealed the problem.

Its a strange phenomenon of de-evolution! Perhaps its a side-effect of the relative ease of life provided by our technology. It causes the problem solving portion of the brain to atrophy. Also, it seems that imagination and initiative tend to be discouraged in most "modern" school systems.

I agree with some of the other comments below...whatever you do, make it interesting to you and make it exciting for your project. If you don't it will be just like every other project and it will become a stress-maker. I am surprised to hear my wife talk about how much she loves her projects with her online class with Purdue ( https://www.purdueonlineengineering.com/electrical-engineering/ ). If you make it fun, it will feel a lot less like work!