MECT 1141 - Basic Electricity and Troubleshooting Skills

Credit Hours: 3.00

Objectives:

1. Describe electrical safety.
2. Identify electrical components.
3. Describe electrical units.
4. Identify electrical connections.
5. Describe instruments used to measure circuits.
6. Describe the functions of voltage, current, resistance, and power, and give an application of each.
7. Identify resistor color codes.
8. Calculate problems using the fundamental circuit laws.
9. Identify different types of circuits.
10. Solve circuits.

Outcome 2: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to explain different types of power supplies.

Objectives:

1. Describe the function of power supplies.
2. Describe the function of batteries.
3. Describe the function of transformers.
4. Select correct wire/conductor sizes.

Outcome 3: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to compare the differences between Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC).
 

Objectives:

1. Describe Direct Current circuits.
2. Describe Alternating Current circuits.
3. Describe AC and DC circuits using simulation software.

Outcome 4: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to utilize electromagnet components.
 

Objectives:

1. Describe types of motors.
2. Calculate motor power and torque.
3. Describe different type of transformers.
4. Calculate transformer primary and secondary values and transformer efficiency.
5. Describe relay operation.
6. Identify the symbols for electromagnetic devices.

Outcome 5: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to solve basic electronic circuits.

Objectives:

1. Define capacitors.
2. Identify types of capacitors.
3. Analyze circuits with capacitors.
4. Define inductors.
5. Identify types of inductors.
6. Analyze circuits with inductors.

Outcome 6: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to use related equipment to test and troubleshoot circuits.

Objectives:

1. Solder a connection.
2. Create a wire connection.
3. Utilize measurement tools.
4. Describe basic troubleshooting strategies for a circuit.

• Communication: The graduate can communicate effectively for the intended purpose and audience.
• Critical Thinking: The graduate can make informed decisions after analyzing information or evidence related to the issue.
• Global Literacy: The graduate can analyze human behavior or experiences through cultural, social, political, or economic perspectives.
• Information Literacy: The graduate can responsibly use information gathered from a variety of formats in order to complete a task.
• Quantitative Reasoning: The graduate can apply quantitative methods or evidence to solve problems or make judgments.
• Scientific Literacy: The graduate can produce or interpret scientific information presented in a variety of formats.

1. Components, Quantities and Units.
   1. Electrical components and measuring instruments.
   2. Electrical units.
   3. Engineering notation and metric prefixes.
   4. Metric unit conversions.
   5. Circuit connectors.
   6. Electrical Safety
2. Voltage, Current and Resistance.
   1. Atomic structure.
   2. Electrical charge.
   3. Voltage, Current and Resistance.
   4. Basic circuit measurements.
   5. Conductors, semiconductors and Insulators
3. Ohm’s law, energy and power.
   1. Ohm’s law.
   2. Application of ohm’s law.
   3. Energy and Watt’s Law
   4. Power in electronic circuits.
   5. The power rating of resistors.
   6. Energy conversion and voltage drops across a resistor.
   7. Power supplies.
   8. Circuit ground.
4. Series circuits.
   1. Resistors in series.
   2. Current in a series circuit.
   3. Total series resistance.
   4. Ohm’s law applied to series circuits.
   5. Voltage sources in series.
   6. Voltage dividers.
   7. Power in a series circuit.
   8. Troubleshooting series circuits.
5. Parallel circuits.
   1. Resistance and voltage in parallel circuits.
   2. Kirchhoff’s current law.
   3. Total parallel equivalent resistance.
   4. Ohm’s law applied to parallel circuits.
   5. Current dividers.
   6. Power in parallel circuits.
   7. Troubleshooting parallel circuits.
6. Series-Parallel circuits.
   1. Identifying series-parallel relationships.
   2. Analysis of series-parallel circuits.
   3. Voltage dividers with resistive loads.
   4. Loading effect of meters.
   5. Troubleshooting series-parallel circuits.
7. Magnetism
   1. Magnetism and Magnets
   2. Electromagnetism
   3. Electromagnetic Devices
8. Alternating Current and Voltage
   1. AC Terminology
   2. Waveforms
   3. AC Generator
   4. Power in AC Circuits
9. Capacitance
   1. Terminology
   2. Units of Capacitance
   3. Types of capacitors
   4. Analyzing circuits with capacitors
10. Inductors
    1. Terminology
    2. Units of Inductance
    3. Types of inductors
    4. Analyzing circuits with inductors
11. Transformers
    1. Transformer Principals
    2. Transformer Efficiency
    3. Types of Transformers
12. Motors.
    1. Motor Principals
    2. Motor Types
13. Instruments and Measurement Tools
    1. Digital Multimeters
    2. Analog Multimeters
    3. Ammeters
    4. Oscilloscopes
    5. Wheatstone Bride
    6. Measuring inductance and capacitance
14. Troubleshooting Skills
    1. Finding the problem
    2. Diagnosing the Problem
    3. Testing Components
    4. Troubleshooting a System