Electronics
The Electronics Technology program trains students in those basic electronics skills necessary for immediate employment and provides the foundation for more advanced studies.
Electronics is an industrial area of growth and opportunity. Constantly up-graded new technologies have created a strong demand for employees who are well trained as electronics technicians. Employment opportunities also exist in many related fields, such as computing, communications, industrial controls, aerospace, biomedical electronics, semi-conductor fabrication, and instrumentation. Employee assignments ordinarily involve product testing, troubleshooting of circuits and systems, or field maintenance and repair.
The employment outlook in communities surrounding Orange Coast College continues to be excellent.
Department Contact Information
Richard Mayfield
rmayfield2@occ.cccd.edu
- Automation Fundamentals, Certificate of Achievement
- Embedded Systems Technician, Certificate of Achievement
- Embedded Systems, Associate in Science
- Industrial Electronics Technician, Certificate of Achievement
- Industrial PLC Technician, Associate in Science
- Industrial PLC Technician, Certificate of Achievement
- Robotics Technician, Certificate of Achievement
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
This course is an introductory course for students who want to learn the fundamentals of electricity and college level math. This course will cover the fundamentals of electricity and electronic circuits. Students will learn how to use math to answer questions about electricity. Students will identify electronic components and basic circuits. Students will be introduced to electronic schematics, Ohm’s Law, Kirchhoff’s Laws and the concepts of resistance, capacitance, and inductance. The course will cover metric prefixes, unit conversions, number systems, and binary logic.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A100
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
Students will learn the fundamentals to safely work with high energy systems in accordance with NFPA 70e standards. This course explores the safety standards adopted and established by the NFPA and OSHA. Students will acquire hands-on experience using multimeters and oscilloscopes to safely diagnose electrical problems. This course covers the foundational concepts of calibration in electronic test equipment.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A102
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
This course covers computer design, components, and assembly. Students will learn to assemble working computers, install an operating system, find and install drivers, and connect the computers to the internet. Students will learn to install and troubleshoot both Windows and Linux operating systems. This course will also cover troubleshooting of common hardware, operating system, and software issues as well as recovery of data from non-functional computers. Finally, students will learn to image computers for quick recovery in the event of corruption.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A103
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
D.C. Circuits is an in-depth study of Direct Current (DC) electronic circuits. Students will learn how to interpret and create electrical schematics. Topics of study include Ohm’s Law, Kirchhoff’s Laws, resistance, capacitance, and inductance. Students will gain hands-on experience with wiring to include soldering, crimping, and heat shrinking. In the lab, students will learn how to use multimeters, power supplies, and oscilloscopes to build and analyze common DC Circuits. The lab work will focus on validating theoretical calculations by building circuits and testing them for expected performance.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A111
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
An in depth study of Alternating Current (AC) electrical circuits. This course of study focuses on the math describing AC circuits, specifically the relationship between impedance, resistance, and reactance. Students will use these concepts to anticipate power factor and learn how to mitigate large inductive loads. Students will design, analyze, build, and test RLC circuits, inductance motor drivers, and filter circuits for audio signals. The lab work will focus on validating theoretical calculations by building circuits and testing them for expected performance.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A112
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
This course covers robotic systems, engineering design, and mechanics. Students will learn to use the engineering design process to define a problem to be solved, establish requirements and specifications, and brainstorm solutions. During Lab, students will build robotic mechanisms, assemble robots according to instructions, and learn to solder. The course culminates with students prototyping the mechanical mechanisms for a robot of their design.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A121
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
This course covers many sensors used by robots to sense the environment. Sensors include limit switches, photo eyes, ultrasonic time of flight distance sensors, shaft encoders, and potentiometers. Includes a study of electronic speed controllers, servos, and stepper motors. Students will study the basics of control theory and program a closed loop speed controller (cruise control) using PID control implemented in C. Finally, students will continue their mechanical prototype developed in Robotics 1 by adding a digital control system, sensors, and autonomous code to complete their prototype.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A122
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
This course is a hands-on study of the basics of industrial control systems. Students will learn how to control various processes without the use of PLCs such as temperature control, liquid level control and conveyor motor control. Students will gain proficiency drafting schematics and wiring diagrams and experience wiring control systems using terminal blocks. This course will focus on relays, motor drives (VFDs), motor contactors, photo eyes, thermocouples, and contact limit switches. Students will learn how to implement emergency stop circuitry and add safety components.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A131
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
Introduction to logic as it applies to discrete Boolean mathematics, deductive reasoning, and digital applications including computer programming, architecture, and embedded systems. An in-depth study of obverse, inverse, AND/OR logical operations. Boolean algebra techniques are applied to simplify complex equations. Students will build, measure, test, analyze and troubleshoot series, parallel and complex circuits. Reading documentation commonly found in industry, i.e., schematics, specifications, assembly and test procedures, will also be included.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A135
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
An introduction to electricity and electronics for non-technicians. Vocabulary, power, voltage, current, resistance, safety, test equipment, circuits and devices are studied. Students will build, test, and troubleshoot circuits and devices. In addition, students will learn how to read documentation commonly found in industry, i.e., schematics, specifications, assembly and test procedures.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A140
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
Second semester laboratory will reinforce safe shop practices, maintenance & instrument handling procedures, technical documentation, and workspace preparation. Student will work on AC and/or DC circuit projects. Mastery of theory, technical documentation, assembly skills, and teamwork skills will be emphasized.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A172
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
Third semester laboratory will develop essential skills for a Test Technician: research, documentation, prototype construction, diagnostics methods and, critical thinking skills. Students will work on A/C circuit, robotics and/or semiconductor circuit for motor control projects. They will develop essential skills for a Test Technician: research, documentation, prototype construction, and diagnostics methods.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A173
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
Fourth semester laboratory develops technical and leadership skills essential for the Industrial Automation Technician, including design, strategic planning, problem solving, and project management. Students will demonstrate the ability to oversee project through the entire process, from design through commissioning of complex systems per client specifications.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A174
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
A study of basic communications systems, including AM, FM, television, radar, antennas, and transmission lines.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A215
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
An advanced course designed to develop hands-on skills and knowledge of microchips used in embedded systems. Emphasis is on the ATmega microprocessor as implemented on the Arduino Development Platform. Students will learn how to develop circuits, integrate sensors, control outputs, write code in C, and compile and flash programs to the microprocessor. This course includes an introduction to Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) commonly used in embedded control systems.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A223
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
Communications system is a hands-on overview of the numerous electronic means of communication. This course focuses on wireless communications, serial communication, and networked systems. Students will learn how electrical signals are modulated to carry data across a variety of channels. Communication protocols covered include AM, FM, FSK, FHSS, WIFI, xBee, ZWave, Cellular Networks, GNSS, i2c, UART, RS485, USB, Ethernet/IP, DOCSIS, Fiber, ModBus, CAN, and ControlNet to name a few. Students will use these protocols to establish communication links between devices in the lab.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A224
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
Students will learn how to connect to PLCs, upload and backup programs, and obtain diagnostic data from operational PLCs. This course is a hands-on course that uses both Allen-Bradley and Siemens control systems. Students will become proficient at interpreting and drafting ladder logic diagrams. This course will cover connecting various process sensors to PLC inputs as well as connecting relays to outputs to drive motor contactors, indications, and handshaking. Students will learn to describe a control process in documentation and then implement the process using ladder logic programming on the PLC. Transfer CSU.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A232
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
This course covers connecting PLCs and control components together using industrial network protocols. Students will learn how to create Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) which are touch displays that control industrial processes. Finally, students will learn how to implement Supervised Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems to collect data and monitor a network of PLCs.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A233
Grading Mode: Standard Letter
Diagnose semiconductor circuits for industrial motor control: power supplies, amplifiers, active filters, oscillators, solid state motor control, phase inverters, Variable Speed Drives (VSD).
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A260
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
A supervised internship, as an assembler or technician, with scope of work related to classroom-based instruction previously completed. The student will research companies and prepare for internship interview. Course includes a directed study of the worksite environment, assigned duties, techniques and skills required for job performance. Student will complete objectives specified by the employer. May be taken for grades or on a pass-no pass basis.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A289
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In this course students will develop the fundamental problem solving skills necessary to troubleshoot simple and complex electronic circuits. Students will learn how to identify problems, localize problems to subsystems, and sequentially test a circuit to quickly identify faulty components or subsystems. Students will gain hands-on experience with diagnostic tools such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and current clamps. Finally, students will learn to solve these issues by weighing the cost of repair or replacement.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC A290
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
This class is an introduction to the field of Electronics. It is designed to familiarize the student with the fundamental equations, calculations, and numeric representations used by Engineers and Technicians. Topics covered will include understanding the range of magnitude of numbers (data) and their SI representation in Scientific and Engineering notation. Base conversion of numbers (hex to decimal). Analog to digital (A/D) and digital to Analog (D/A) conversion. Charting and Graphing of data and how to interpret data on different graphs (semi-log, log-log). Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C101
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
Students learn to conduct an experiment using modern tools, collect data, analyze data, and write a report to professional standards. Students learn to analyze DC networks with applied scientific principles. Students develop an understanding of the function of resistors, capacitors, and inductors in a functioning circuit. Students are required to perform computer analysis using modern software tools to validate calculations and experimental results. Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C102
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
Students learn to conduct an experiment using modern tools, collect data, analyze data, and write a report to professional standards. Students learn to analyze AC networks with applied scientific principles. Students develop an understanding of the function of resistors, capacitors, and inductors in a functioning circuit. Students are required to perform computer analysis using modern software tools to validate calculations and experimental results. Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C103
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
This class is a continuation of the digital logic portion of ELEC C101 and ELEC C102 (binary numbers, Logic gates AND / OR). It starts with an introduction to one-bit memory cells (Flip-Flops), comparators, ADDITION and 2's complement using discrete logic gates (XOR), decision-making circuitry, sequential circuits, program counter, instruction sequencing. This class gives the student a "behind the scene look" at what makes every digital computer work. Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C104
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
The student will learn the characteristics of semiconductor devices including diodes, BJTs, and FETs. Biasing and DC and AC load-lines are presented in each of the three configurations -- CB/CG, CE/CS, and CC/CD, followed by analysis and design of amplifier circuits at mid-band with emphasis on input/output impedance and gain. Students learn to design and analyze diode and transistor circuits and to simulate test results with a circuit simulation package. Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C204
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
Student will learn to write transfer functions of low, high, and band pass RC filters; phase lead and lag RC networks; and use complex conjugates to separate functions into gain-magnitude and phase components and sketch bode plots on semi-log axes. Write transfer functions of series and parallel RLC resonant circuits and plot their response. Determine h-parameters from device curves and convert them into small signal models to compute input/output impedance and gain. Work with four idealized forms of amplifiers -- VV, VI, IV, and II. Students learn to analyze passive RC, RC, and RLC circuits, simulate test results with EWB or PSpice, set-up test apparatus, gather data, and prepare technical reports to professional standards. Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C210
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
The student will use discrete integrated circuits, glue logic, TTL or CMOS to simulate then prototype or breadboard functional components from the ELEC C104 class such as Multiplexers, Adders, Shift registers, stacks. These components will be ported to Alerta PLDs and their operation verified. For the final project the student will construct a project from discrete components and PLDs then compare the operation / cost / complexity tradeoff in a final paper. Typical final projects in the past included Tic-Tac-Toe, a traffic signal, Pong, read/write a sequence of 1s and 0s to RAM. These projects will be converted again in ELEC C240 to run on a M68HC11 controller. Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C230
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
The student will learn to design, write, and debug programs in assembly and a subset of American National Standards Institute (ANSI) "C." The student will learn to download programs to the microcomputer after they have been converted on a host computer with an assembler or C compiler. The first few programs will duplicate some of the hardwired processes developed in the Advanced Digital Logic class then progress to more complex time-dependent processes such as temperature measurement, motor speed control, metering the flow of liquids. This class is the logical continuation of ELEC C104 and will rely on information learned in other electronics classes such as ELEC C204 and C210 Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C240
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
This course is designed to fulfill the needs of technicians seeking competency in all aspects of electronic design and fabrication techniques. It serves as a practical and realistic guide for developing skills in planning, designing, and constructing electronic equipment. Students learn the process of design, from concept to completion of a piece of working hardware. Students learn the importance of safety in regards to AC wiring and protection. Students learn about modern manufacturing techniques with printed circuit boards and automation. Students learn how to use modern CAD software to design a project and use an outside vendor to produce a product using CAM files. Students learn to work in a group setting to design and manufacture a device. Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C272
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
This class will provide students with a broad understanding of modern electric power, where it comes from, how it is transmitted and how it is turned into useful work. The scope of the class reflects the rapid changes that have occurred in power technology over the past few years, allowing the entrance of power electronics into every facet of industrial drives, and expanding the field to open more career opportunities. Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C280
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
This course enhances each Work Based Learning experience participant's opportunity for success in the field of Electronics by bridging the gap between educational theory and on-the-job practices through individualized performance objectives related to the student's career or occupational goal in Electronics. Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C281
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
This course enhances each Work Based Learning experience participant's opportunity for success in the field of Electronics by bridging the gap between educational theory and on-the-job practices through individualized performance objectives related to the student's career or occupational goal in Electronics. Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C282
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
This course enhances each Work Based Learning experience participant's opportunity for success in the field of Electronics by bridging the gap between educational theory and on-the-job practices through individualized performance objectives related to the student's career or occupational goal in Electronics. Graded or Pass/No Pass option.
Catalog Program Pages Referencing ELEC C283
Grading Mode: Standard Letter, Pass/No Pass
This course enhances each Work Based Learning experience participant's opportunity for success in the field of Electronics by bridging the gap between educational theory and on-the-job practices through individualized performance objectives related to the student's career or occupational goal in Electronics. Graded or Pass/No Pass option.