Please use this thread to post questions and discussion around the lectures below.

Lecture 4: The digital abstraction

Lecture 5: Inside the digital gate

Thanks,

= Justin

Well I just hope that:
A) I'm not the only person watching these
and
B) I'm not the only person who has to force themselves to pay attention to all the digital stuff that I currently think I'll never use, but will probably end up using sooner than I think.

I also notice that there's some things we've missed in recitations and stuff. I guess the actual MIT class is worth the money! I'll have to read up on Norton equivalent circuits on my own.

Todd Wilcox

I'm watching these too, but slower than you are. I'm still in lecture 3. I guess I don't have the time I thought I have. I need to do "homeworks" like the people who actually take the course do, I mean without exercising all of that, it will be hard to really understand it.

Even if it's just a few of us, I'm still into it.

Haven't gotten to week 2 yet, because I've been fighting my MCI tape machines for the past few nights on deadline to get a recording out. When they would really piss me off, I'd go off "you fuckers, by April I'm going to understand what's the matter with you and THIS BULLSHIT OF NOT HOLDING A COCKSUCKING ALIGNMENT IS GOING TO STOP."

So I'm still committed like Randle Patrick McMurphy.

= Justin

I'm watching.

It is probably the first time I've wished there were labs and homework in my life.

I'm still in too!

vockins wrote:It is probably the first time I've wished there were labs and homework in my life.

You're soo right!

I'm still with you all, just behind....I'll play some catchup this weekend.

I'm about halfway through 5.

I've downloaded the homework. I'm gonna start muddling through them this weekend and see if that sheds some light on some of this stuff.

I finally have a question, although I think I'm ahead one lecture (I'm watching the small signal analysis lecture):

Is the first derivative of the transfer function through a device equal to the conductance through the device?

Todd Wilcox

It depends on the type of transfer function you're describing. The transfer functions of nonlinear amplifiers, for instance, are often described in terms of output voltage as a function of input voltage. In this case, the first derivative gives you the small signal voltage gain.
For the case of single transistors, for example, you're generally interested in the collector current as a function of base voltage. The first derivative of the output current with respect to input voltage gives you the small signal transconductance. 'Conductance' implies current as a function of voltage.
Hope this helps.