Electrical Engineering 123 — Digital Signal Processing (4 Units)

Course Overview

Summary

The course focuses on analyzing and synthesizing algorithms and systems that process discrete time signals, with emphasis on realization and implementation.

Prerequisites

  • EE120

Topics Covered

  • Discrete Time Signals and Systems
    • Fourier and Z transforms
    • DFT
    • Two-dimensional versions
  • Digital Signal Processing Topics
    • Flow graphs
    • Realizations
    • FFT
    • Quantization effects
    • Linear prediction
  • Digital Filter Design Methods
    • Windowing
    • Frequency sampling
    • S-to-Z methods
    • Frequency-transformation methods
    • Optimization methods
    • Two-dimensional filter design

Workload

Course Work

(In Spring 2016) The course had two midterms, with no final. Weekly problem sets are assigned. There are 4-6 labs that are assigned along with problem sets. There is one project for the course.

Labs work are based on applications of radio. If you do not have a HAM license, you will get one while taking the course

Time Commitment

3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week. The problem sets along with labs take approximately 6-8 hours per week.

Choosing the Course

When to take

This course is usually taken after EE120. During junior year is a good time, as you will have time to move on to advanced signal processing courses.

What next?

After EE123, there are many graduate-level courses in more specific fields available, such as EE225 series.

Usefulness for Research or Internships

Knowledge in this course gives foundation in many applications such as image processing. While this basic knowledge can be helpful in getting a research position, it paves the road to advanced topics in later courses, which will be extremely valuable in research. Digital signal processing skills acquired from the course, along with knowledge in advanced circuit analysis/design, can help in many electrical engineering internship positions, such as (RF) circuit design.

Additional Comments/Tips

Have study buddies to do the problem sets, as this will make the process faster. If you are shaky or rusty about EE120 materials (transforms), make sure to review them early on in the course, as a strong foundation will allow the materials to make more sense. Some Matlab experience will also help in the lab assignments.

Last updated: Spring 2017