Free Course Image Electronic Circuit Design Course

Free online courseElectronic Circuit Design Course

Duration of the online course: 9 hours and 31 minutes

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Build real-world analog and digital circuits with a free online course—learn amplifiers, filters, ADC/DAC, power supplies and interfaces, plus certificate-ready skills.

In this free course, learn about

  • BJT basics: regions, characteristics, emitter role; common-emitter vs emitter follower amplifiers
  • Small-signal models & linearization for BJT/MOSFET; gm, rπ/ro; gain and input/output impedance
  • MOSFET & JFET structure, terminals, operating regions, and key differences (insulated vs junction gate)
  • Op-amp fundamentals: ideal rules, closed-loop gain (inverting/non-inverting) and math ops (sum/diff/int/diff)
  • Op-amp non-idealities: offset voltage, finite gain/bandwidth, bias currents, saturation/limits
  • Current sources/mirrors and voltage/bandgap references for stable biasing
  • Passive/active analog filters: RC basics, Bode/phasors, higher order via cascading and its drawbacks
  • Resonance in RLC circuits: series/parallel behavior and what occurs at the resonant frequency
  • Power supplies: linear regulators & LDOs (dropout/heat), and SMPS (buck/boost/inverting) advantages
  • Comparators & Schmitt triggers: hysteresis, clocked comparators, and why they're used in ICs
  • Data converters: ADC purpose & types (flash, SAR, dual-slope, delta-sigma) and key specs
  • DACs: string vs R-2R ladders, FSR/LSB/MSB concepts, and glitch-related tradeoffs
  • Differential amplifiers: differential/common-mode gain, CMRR, and why common-mode definitions matter
  • Digital/CMOS & interfaces: CMOS inverter/logic design, latches/flip-flops/oscillators, UART/SPI/I²C basics

Course Description

Designing electronic circuits is more than connecting components: it is about predicting behavior, controlling gain and bandwidth, managing noise and non-idealities, and choosing architectures that meet real constraints. This free online course helps you move from theory to practical circuit design thinking, so you can analyze and size stages with confidence and explain why a circuit works, not just that it works.

You will develop a solid foundation in transistor-based amplifiers, including how emitter and common-emitter configurations behave, how current can be transformed into voltage, and how small-signal models make complex circuits manageable. You will also strengthen your intuition for biasing, operating regions, and the trade-offs between gain, impedance, and linearity—skills that are essential for technicians, electricians, and anyone working with embedded or mixed-signal hardware.

Operational amplifiers are treated as design tools rather than black boxes. You will learn the rules behind closed-loop behavior, understand the consequences of non-idealities such as offset voltage, and apply op-amps to create practical building blocks, from comparators and Schmitt triggers to active filters. Along the way, you will connect frequency-domain concepts such as Bode plots, resonance, and filter order to the outcomes you see on a bench or in a simulation, helping you make informed choices about stability and performance.

Power and conversion are also covered from a designer’s viewpoint: linear regulators, low-dropout concepts, and the efficiency advantages of switched-mode power supplies, including buck, boost, and inverting topologies. You will see how references, current sources, and mirrors support robust designs, and how supply specifications translate into system reliability.

To bridge analog and digital worlds, the course builds your understanding of ADC and DAC principles and the practical parameters that define real resolution and accuracy. You will also gain clarity on common hardware interfaces and the foundations of CMOS logic and multivibrators, providing a rounded skill set that supports troubleshooting, prototyping, and professional growth. If you are aiming to strengthen job-ready electronics competence, this course provides a coherent path from components to complete circuit behavior, with exercises that reinforce core decisions and calculations.

Course content

  • Video class: The Transistor as an Amplifier - Emitter Follower, Common Emitter Circuit, Design Example 13m
  • Exercise: What is the function of the emitter in an NPN transistor amplifier circuit?
  • Video class: The Transistor as an Amplifier - Voltage Amplifier, Gain, Limits, Model, Characteristic, Application 18m
  • Exercise: What is the basic principle used to transform a current into a voltage in a common-emitter amplifier?
  • Video class: Operational Amplifiers - Basic Rules, Ideal OpAmp, Structure, Closed Loop, Example Non-Inverting 11m
  • Exercise: What is the differential mode gain (G_D) of an operational amplifier considered to be?
  • Video class: Operational Amplifiers - Mathematical Operations, Addition, Subtraction, Differentiator, Integrator 12m
  • Exercise: What does the gain of an inverting amplifier depend on?
  • Video class: Transistor Circuits - Current Source, Current Mirror, Voltage/Bandgap Reference 12m
  • Exercise: What circuit is known for generating a stable output despite varying output voltage?
  • Video class: Non-Idealities of Operational Amplifiers (OpAmps) 13m
  • Exercise: What is offset voltage in operational amplifiers and why is it significant?
  • Video class: Analog Filters - Basics, First Order, Ideal Filters, RC Low Pass, Phasor Diagram, Bode Plot 17m
  • Exercise: What two components make up a simple passive RC filter?
  • Video class: Analog Filters - Higher Order Filters, Cascading Passive Filters, Filters with Inductances, AM Radio 20m
  • Exercise: What is a potential drawback of adding stages to an RC filter?
  • Video class: Resonance Circuits - Frequency Behaviour, RLC Series/Parallel Resonance Circuit, Mechanical Analogy 15m
  • Exercise: What happens at the resonance frequency in a series LC circuit?
  • Video class: Basics of Switched Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) - Charge Pumps, Switching Elements, Types 13m
  • Exercise: What is a significant advantage of switched mode power supplies over linear voltage regulators?
  • Video class: Switched Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) - Buck and Boost Converter 16m
  • Exercise: What is the function of a buck converter?
  • Video class: Switched Mode Power Supplies (SMPS) - Inverting Converters and Primary Switched Mode Power Supplies 11m
  • Exercise: What is a key advantage of primary switched mode power supplies over linear voltage regulators?
  • Video class: Linear Voltage Regulators - Basics, Classic Linear Power Supply, Properties, Dropout Regulator 10m
  • Exercise: Which component is typically found at the beginning of a linear power supply?
  • Video class: Linear Voltage Regulators (LDO) - Applications, Heat Sink Example, Shunt Regulator 09m
  • Exercise: What is the minimum voltage drop needed for a PNP transistor in a low-dropout regulator?
  • Video class: Clocked Comparators 09m
  • Exercise: What is the purpose of a clocked comparator in microelectronics?
  • Video class: Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC) - Basics 18m
  • Exercise: What is the main purpose of an ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter)?
  • Video class: Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC) - Flash ADC and Successive Approximation Register ADC 14m
  • Exercise: What are the main parameters to consider for ADCs?
  • Video class: Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC) - Dual Slope and Charge-Balancing ADC 14m
  • Exercise: Which ADC topology is known for its precision and noise suppression capabilities?
  • Video class: Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC) - Charge-Balancing and Delta-Sigma ADC 17m
  • Exercise: What is a unique feature of Delta-Sigma converters that makes them suitable for high-precision applications?
  • Video class: Operational Amplifiers in Positive Feedback - Non-Inverting, Inverting Schmitt-Trigger 11m
  • Exercise: What is a key feature of the Schmitt-Trigger circuit?
  • Video class: Introduction to Electronic Circuit Design 2 Lecture - Scrubs Intro 01m
  • Exercise: What is a recurring phrase in the song?
  • Video class: Basics of Semiconductor Diodes, z Diodes, Schottky Diodes, LEDs 09m
  • Exercise: What is the typical threshold voltage for a silicon diode?
  • Video class: Diodes in Circuit Analysis: How to Calculate Diode Circuits using Simplified Diode Representations 04m
  • Exercise: In a circuit with diodes, what threshold voltage is commonly used to determine conduction?
  • Video class: Zener Diodes, Z Diodes in Circuit Analysis: Characteristics, Simplified Represenation and Example 02m
  • Exercise: In what condition does a Zener diode act as a voltage reference?
  • Video class: Small-Signal Equivalent Circuit of Bipolar Transistors, MOSFET, Resistor, Current and Voltage Source 09m
  • Exercise: What is the main purpose of small signal equivalent circuits in electronics?
  • Video class: Small-Signal Parameters of Bipolar Transistors: Transconductance, Gain, Input and Output Impedance 03m
  • Exercise: What is the purpose of linearizing a transistor in circuit analysis?
  • Video class: Small-Signal Parameters of MOSFETs: Formulas and Equations for Transconductance and Output Impedance 02m
  • Exercise: How do you linearize a transistor for circular analysis?
  • Video class: Bipolar Transistors: Symbol, Input, Output, Transfer Characteristic, Current Gain, Operation Regions 05m
  • Exercise: What is the primary operational region of a bipolar junction transistor for analog circuits?
  • Video class: Bipolar Junction Transistor, BJT - Structure of npn/pnp, Input, Output, Transfer Characteristic 08m
  • Exercise: What is the primary function of the emitter in a Bipolar Junction Transistor?
  • Video class: Junction Field Effect Transistor, JFET - Structure, Output, Transfer Characteristic, Regions 08m
  • Exercise: Which component acts as the gatekeeper in a JFET?
  • Video class: Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor, MOSFET - Structure, Characteristics, Regions 07m
  • Exercise: What is the main characteristic difference between JFET and MOSFET?
  • Video class: MOSFETs: Symbol, Input, Output, Transfer Characteristic, Current Gain, Operation Regions 06m
  • Exercise: Identify the terminals and characteristics of a MOSFET
  • Video class: Aufbau einer Phase Locked Loop Schaltung (PLL) - Clock-Frequenzen erhöhen und stabilisieren 54m
  • Video class: Analysing Bipolar Transistor Circuits - Calculations, Assumptions, Operating Regions, Examples 03m
  • Exercise: What aspect is crucial when analyzing a transistor circuit?
  • Video class: Deriving the Small-Signal Equivalent Circuit of a MOSFET Transistor Amplifier incl. Gain Calculation 03m
  • Exercise: What is the voltage gain in a small signal MOSFET amplifier circuit?
  • Video class: Small-Signal Equivalent Circuit - Deriving Voltage Gain of a MOSFET Amplifier with Source Resistance 09m
  • Exercise: What is the voltage amplification Vout to Vin in the given circuit?
  • Video class: Differential Amplifiers - Basics, Principle, Common and Differential Mode Gain, Ideal vs. Real, CMRR 09m
  • Exercise: What does a basic differential amplifier consist of?
  • Video class: Differential Amplifiers - Differential and Common Mode Gain, Derivation, Formulas, Simplifications 11m
  • Exercise: What is the significance of defining common mode and differential mode voltages in differential amplifiers?
  • Video class: Hardware Interfaces - Communication Protocols, Basic Definitions, UART, Parity Bit (Even/Odd), USB 13m
  • Exercise: What is a key method for minimizing electromagnetic interference in signal transmission?
  • Video class: Hardware Interfaces - SPI, I²C, CLK, CS, SDO, SDI, SDIO, MISO, MOSI, SDA, SCL, Master, Slave 12m
  • Exercise: What is the main characteristic of the SPI interface?
  • Video class: CMOS Basics - Inverter, Transmission Gate, Dynamic and Static Power Dissipation, Latch Up 13m
  • Exercise: What are the main advantages of CMOS technology?
  • Video class: CMOS Circuits - Pull Down and Pull Up Network, PDN, PUN, Karnaugh Map, Digital Logic, NOT, NAND, XOR 12m
  • Exercise: What is the initial step in designing a CMOS logic circuit?
  • Video class: Bistable Multivibrators: SR Latch, D Latch, Clocked SR Latch 07m
  • Exercise: What modification creates a D latch from an SR latch?
  • Video class: Bistable Multivibrators: Master-Slave D Flip Flop, JK Flip Flop, T Flip Flop, Difference to Latches 08m
  • Exercise: What distinguishes a latch from a flip-flop in digital electronics?
  • Video class: Astable Multivibrators: Ring Oscillator, Inverter Chain, Basic Function, Switching Frequency 05m
  • Exercise: How can the frequency of a ring oscillator be altered?
  • Video class: Monostable Multivibrators: Monostables, Monoflops, Pulse Creation, Stable State, Astable State 07m
  • Exercise: What characterizes a retriggerable monostable multivibrator?
  • Video class: Astable Multivibrators: Relaxation Oscillator, Inverting Schmitt-Trigger, Calculation Example 07m
  • Exercise: What is the frequency of the relaxation oscillator?
  • Video class: Digital-to-Analog Converter - Basics, String DAC, Glitches, Full Scale Range (FSR), LSB, MSB 07m
  • Exercise: What is a key drawback of the string DAC design?
  • Video class: Digital-to-Analog Converter - R2R DAC, Ladder Architecture, Explanation, Superposition, Glitch 07m
  • Exercise: What is a key advantage of an R-2R DAC over a string DAC?
  • Video class: Specifications of Power Supplies: Line, Load Regulation, Efficiency, PSRR, Dropout, Characteristics 07m
  • Exercise: What is the significance of efficiency in power supplies?
  • Video class: Active Filters - Basics, First Order Low Pass, High Pass, Band Pass, Operational Amplifiers, Analog 07m
  • Exercise: What is a key advantage of using operational amplifiers in active filters?
  • Video class: Digital-to-Analog Converter - Basics, String DAC, Glitches, Full Scale Range (FSR), LSB, MSB 07m
  • Exercise: What is an advantage of the String-DAC topology?

This free course includes:

9 hours and 31 minutes of online video course

Digital certificate of course completion (Free)

Exercises to train your knowledge

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