Getting Parts for Your Project

Student groups have a budget of $50 per student as of fall 2023. This money can be accessed through your TAs CFOP number. The ways parts can be sources are listed below in order of desirability.

1. Lab Kit

Each group is issued a locker and lab kit. A lab kit should include banana plugs and a breadboard.

2. ECEB 2070 Lab

There are many parts available for free in the ECEB 2070 lab such as THT passive components, MOSFETs, and line operated DC power supplies.

3. ECE 445 Inventory

Your TA can check out parts ECE 445 stores in white cabinets at the back of the lab: link. This inventory spreadsheet has not been updated in some time. There are items on this list that may not be in the cabinets and there are items in the cabinets that may not be on this list. Use this form for checkout: link

4. Electronics Services Shop (A.K.A. ECE Services Shop)

The Electronics Services Shop is located on the first floor of ECEB near the cargo elevator in ECEB 1041. They have a large stock of THT ICs (such as op-amps), potentiometers, motors, resistors, connectors, etc. Visit them when they are open to pick up parts.

Self-Service Inventory

Recently, they have started stocking 0805 surface mount passive components, crystal oscillators, microcontrollers, and linear regulators. The microcontroller portion of your board can probably be built entirely with parts from the Electronics Services Shop. You do not need to pay for parts you obtain from the Electronics Services Shop.

SMD Component Inventory

To obtain parts from the e-shop, please contact your TA with a list. Your TA must email the e-shop and they will collect the parts. Your TA will get an email when the parts are ready. Your TA must pick up the parts from the e-shop . The e-shop will not release the parts to you.

SMD Parts Request Form link

5. ECE Supply Center (A.K.A. ECE Store)

The ECE Supply Center is located on the first floor of ECEB in room 1031 near the loading dock. You must pay for parts out of pocket or with your TA's CFOP number. They stock breadboards, project boxes, jumper wires, THT LSI logic ICs, THT analog ICs, and more. This is a fantastic resource for building prototypes. You can search their catalog here: https://my.ece.illinois.edu/storeroom/catalog.asp.

6. Free Samples from Companies

It should be mentioned that companies many times are willing to provide small quantities of their products to students engaged in design projects. You might consider approaching the manufacturer directly, particularly regarding their newer products which they are interested in promoting. Don't count on success with this, but it has often been very useful.

7. MY.ECE Ordering (last resort)

You can order parts from amazon, digikey, mouser, etc. using the money provided to you by the course with your TA's CFOP number. Orders placed through this avenue must be approved by your TA through myECE. If you order multiple parts through digikey or mouser, please provide a shopping cart link. This method of ordering is best for parts that cannot be found in any of the sources listed above. This includes SMD MOSFETs, high performance ADCs/DACs, power converter ICs, SMD op amps, modem ICs, etc. Please refer to this tutorial for more instructions: http://courses.engr.illinois.edu/ece445/lab/resources/ece_purchasing_app_tutorial.pdf

Personal Purchases

It is always possible and encouraged to purchase your own parts from a local store (Radio Shack, Best Buy, etc.) or order them from online vendors. Personal purchases will not be reimbursed by the department.

Featured Project

Partners: Alexander Hardiek (ahardi6), Saanil Joshi (stjoshi2), and Ganpath Karl (gkarl2)

Project Description: We have decided to innovate a low cost wind turbine to help the villagers of El Durazno in Guatemala access water from mountains, based on the pitch of Prof. Ann Witmer.

Problem: There is currently no water distribution system in place for the villagers to gain access to water. They have to travel my foot over larger distances on mountainous terrain to fetch water. For this reason, it would be better if water could be pumped to a containment tank closer to the village and hopefully distributed with the help of a gravity flow system.

There is an electrical grid system present, however, it is too expensive for the villagers to use. Therefore, we need a cheap renewable energy solution to the problem. Solar energy is not possible as the mountain does not receive enough solar energy to power a motor. Wind energy is a good alternative as the wind speeds and high and since it is a mountain, there is no hindrance to the wind flow.

Solution Overview: We are solving the power generation challenge created by a mismatch between the speed of the wind and the necessary rotational speed required to produce power by the turbine’s generator. We have access to several used car parts, allowing us to salvage or modify different induction motors and gears to make the system work.

We have two approaches we are taking. One method is converting the induction motor to a generator by removing the need of an initial battery input and using the magnetic field created by the magnets. The other method is to rewire the stator so the motor can spin at the necessary rpm.

Subsystems: Our system components are split into two categories: Mechanical and Electrical. All mechanical components came from a used Toyota car such as the wheel hub cap, serpentine belt, car body blade, wheel hub, torsion rod. These components help us covert wind energy into mechanical energy and are already built and ready. Meanwhile, the electrical components are available in the car such as the alternator (induction motor) and are designed by us such as the power electronics (AC/DC converters). We will use capacitors, diodes, relays, resistors and integrated circuits on our printed circuit boards to develop the power electronics. Our electrical components convert the mechanical energy in the turbine into electrical energy available to the residents.

Criterion for success: Our project will be successful when we can successfully convert the available wind energy from our meteorological data into electricity at a low cost from reusable parts available to the residents of El Durazno. In the future, their residents will prototype several versions of our turbine to pump water from the mountains.