Principles of Engineering (PoE) is an introductory level mechatronics class at the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. The class is structured around using PIC microcontrollers to build simple devices. PoE is structured such that students teach themselves through three structured investigative labs. Then, students design and develop an independent project in small groups based on the labs and research. Class time is dedicated to working on labs and the project. Instead of standard introductory engineering lectures, students are responsible for using the tools available to investigate problems themselves, utilizing the professor as a resource.
The project itself is done in small groups of students, between two and six. Teams decide on a project with nontrivial mechanical and electrical components and then work to completely it over the course of 2 months. Students interface a PIC18F2455 microcontroller with some new device of their choice as a fourth lab report for usage in future projects, and generally use this experience in their final deliverable.
The entire project is extensively documented on our website. Visit it to learn more about our project!
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