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MTRX1702: Mechatronics 1 (2016 - Semester 2)

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Unit: MTRX1702: Mechatronics 1 (6 CP)
Mode: Normal-Day
On Offer: Yes
Level: Junior
Faculty/School: School of Aerospace, Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering
Unit Coordinator/s: A/Prof Rye, David
Session options: Semester 2
Versions for this Unit:
Site(s) for this Unit: https://edstem.com.au/courses/288/
Campus: Camperdown/Darlington
Pre-Requisites: None.
Prohibitions: ELEC1101 OR ELEC2602 OR COSC1002 OR COSC1902.
Brief Handbook Description: This unit of study aims to provide a foundation for the study of systems and embedded programming for the degree in Mechatronic Engineering.

It is based around a systems engineering approach to requirements capture, software design, implementation, debugging and testing in the context of the C programming language. Problem definition and decomposition; the design process; designing for testing and defensive coding methods; modular code structure and abstract data types; best practice in programming. Programming in teams; documentation and version control.

The C language: preprocessor, tokens, storage classes and types; arithmetic, relational and bit manipulation operators; constructs for control flow: if, switch, for, do and while; arrays; pointers and character strings; dynamic memory allocation; functions and parameter passing; derived storage classes: structures and unions; file I/O.
Assumed Knowledge: MTRX1701.
Lecturer/s: Dr Ward, James
Dr Balamurali, Mehala
Tutor/s: Krishnamurthy, Kausthub; MacKay, Jacob; Phung, Dang Khoa; Pollard, Tyrone
Timetable: MTRX1702 Timetable
Time Commitment:
# Activity Name Hours per Week Sessions per Week Weeks per Semester
1 Lecture 2.00 2 13
2 Tutorial 2.00 2 12
3 Independent Study 5.00 13
T&L Activities: Tutorial: Laboratory-based tutorials.

Independent Study: Students are expected to undertake at least five hours of independent study per week outside of formally-timetabled classes. Students are expected to commit to private study, which may include lab work, outside of the timetabled hours. It is expected that the appropriate reference books and web-based material will be read to supplement material presented during lectures.

Attributes listed here represent the key course goals (see Course Map tab) designated for this unit. The list below describes how these attributes are developed through practice in the unit. See Learning Outcomes and Assessment tabs for details of how these attributes are assessed.

Attribute Development Method Attribute Developed
Problem definition and analysis, systematic design, implementation and fault-finding in software. Design (Level 2)
Theoretical foundations of software engineering. Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 2)

For explanation of attributes and levels see Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table.

Learning outcomes are the key abilities and knowledge that will be assessed in this unit. They are listed according to the course goal supported by each. See Assessment Tab for details how each outcome is assessed.

Design (Level 2)
1. Ability to analyse, design, implement, debug and test programs.
Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 2)
2. Ability to design and implement complete and correct programs in the C language.
Assessment Methods:
# Name Group Weight Due Week Outcomes
1 Assignment 1 No 10.00 Week 7 1, 2,
2 Assignment 2 No 10.00 Week 9 1, 2,
3 Assignment 3 No 10.00 Week 11 1, 2,
4 Assignment 4 No 20.00 Week 13 1, 2,
5 Programming Challenges No 10.00 Multiple Weeks 1, 2,
6 Final Examination No 40.00 Exam Period 1, 2,
Assessment Description: Assignment Extensions and Deadlines No extension of the published due dates and times will be given outside the formal Special Consideration process unless exceptional circumstances apply. In such cases, application for an extension must be submitted in writing (e.g. by email to the Unit Coordinator), citing those circumstances. A decision will be given in writing (email).

Late Submission of Assignments Late submissions will be penalized 20% of the full mark for every day or part thereof that the assignment is late.

Must Pass Examination To pass this unit of study it is necessary to obtain a mark of not less than 45% in the Final Examination. If you do not achieve a mark of at least 45% in the Final Examination the maximum mark you can get for the unit of study is 45%.

Similarity Detection Please note that all code submitted for assessment will be checked using similarity detection software as part of the University`s academic honesty processes.
Assessment Feedback: Students can expect feedback for this Unit of Study through discussion during lectures and computer laboratory sessions, through participation in the forums on the Ed online platform and through written responses to questions posed via email. Students can provide feedback to the Lecturer and Tutors by discussion during lectures or tutorial/ laboratory sessions, through the Ed forum, and by submitting comments and questions by email.
Grading:
Grade Type Description
Standards Based Assessment Final grades in this unit are awarded at levels of HD for High Distinction, DI (previously D) for Distinction, CR for Credit, PS (previously P) for Pass and FA (previously F) for Fail as defined by University of Sydney Assessment Policy. Details of the Assessment Policy are available on the Policies website at http://sydney.edu.au/policies . Standards for grades in individual assessment tasks and the summative method for obtaining a final mark in the unit will be set out in a marking guide supplied by the unit coordinator.
Policies & Procedures: See the policies page of the faculty website at http://sydney.edu.au/engineering/student-policies/ for information regarding university policies and local provisions and procedures within the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies.
Recommended Reference/s: Note: References are provided for guidance purposes only. Students are advised to consult these books in the university library. Purchase is not required.
Online Course Content: Course content can be accessed via Blackboard, but is actually hosted on the Ed platform at https://edstem.com.au/courses/288/
Note on Resources: Library classifications: 005.133, 621.3819, 621.39

Note that the "Weeks" referred to in this Schedule are those of the official university semester calendar https://web.timetable.usyd.edu.au/calendar.jsp

Week Description
Week 1 The character of a programmer
Introduction; fundamental data types
Week 2 Compiler and linker
Data types
Week 3 Simple Makefiles and debugging
Arithmetic operations
Week 4 Coding style
Input and output; file I/O
Week 5 Implementing decision structures
Decision making
Week 6 Function design and implementation
Functions
Week 7 Scope and extent
Module design and implementation
Assessment Due: Assignment 1
Week 8 High-level design
Pointers
Week 9 Version control
Pointer arithmetic
Assessment Due: Assignment 2
Week 10 Unit testing
Arrays and strings
Week 11 Debugging
Bitwise operators
Assessment Due: Assignment 3
Week 12 Dynamic memory
The C preprocessor
Week 13 Review
Review
Assessment Due: Assignment 4
Exam Period Assessment Due: Final Examination

Course Relations

The following is a list of courses which have added this Unit to their structure.

Course Year(s) Offered
Mechatronic Engineering (mid-year) 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic / Project Management 2019+ 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic with Space / Project Management 2019+ 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic Engineering 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic / Arts (2022 and earlier) 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Mechatronic / Arts 2023+ 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic / Commerce 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Mechatronic / Commerce 2023+ 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic / Commerce 2023+ (mid-year) 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic / Science 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic / Science (Health) 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Mechatronic / Science - Mid Year 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic / Law 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Mechatronic / Law 2023+ 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic with Space Engineering 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic with Space / Arts (2022 and earlier) 2015, 2021, 2022
Mechatronic with Space / Arts 2023+ 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic with Space / Commerce 2015, 2021, 2022
Mechatronic with Space / Commerce 2023+ 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic with Space / Science 2015, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic with Space / Law 2015, 2021, 2022
Mechatronic with Space / Law 2023+ 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic with Space / Science - Mid Year 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic with Space Engineering (mid-year) 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Mechatronic Engineering / Arts 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Mechatronic Engineering / Commerce 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Mechatronic Engineering / Medical Science 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Mechatronic Engineering / Science 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Mechatronic Engineering (Space) / Arts 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Mechatronic Engineering (Space) / Commerce 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Mechatronic Engineering (Space) / Medical Science 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Mechatronic Engineering (Space) / Science 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Mechatronic Engineering (Space) / Law 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014
Mechatronic / Science (Medical Science Stream) 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
Mechatronic with Space / Science (Medical Science Stream) 2021, 2022
Biomedical Engineering (mid-year) 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Biomedical Engineering 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering 2023, 2024, 2025
Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering (mid-year) 2023, 2024, 2025
Flexible First Year (Stream B) / Science 2012

Course Goals

This unit contributes to the achievement of the following course goals:

Attribute Practiced Assessed
Design (Level 2) Yes 50%
Engineering/IT Specialisation (Level 2) Yes 50%

These goals are selected from Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table which defines overall goals for courses where this unit is primarily offered. See Engineering & IT Graduate Outcomes Table for details of the attributes and levels to be developed in the course as a whole. Percentage figures alongside each course goal provide a rough indication of their relative weighting in assessment for this unit. Note that not all goals are necessarily part of assessment. Some may be more about practice activity. See Learning outcomes for details of what is assessed in relation to each goal and Assessment for details of how the outcome is assessed. See Attributes for details of practice provided for each goal.