Purchasing guidelines for ECE Senior Design projects


Each team in Design I and II (with no additional source of monetary support) will be allotted $250 to be used during the semester. Some teams already have another source of funding, and will not receive money from this donation, but the guidelines for the use of any funds are the same. These guidelines are designed to keep the bookkeeping tasks organized, and thereby ensure that you get the components you need for your designs.

Teams are urged to be as frugal as possible, both to make sure that the money lasts you throughout the semester, and to keep the cost of your design down. Don't think "we can afford a more expensive processor, board, etc." just because you won't be paying for it out of your own pocket. Major costs for Design I usually include prototype parts, while major costs for Design II usually include the production parts and PCBs (you might even want to include in your budget a second PCB revision). Also don't forget to consider the cost of any items you might need for testing your projects.

NOTE: If shipping on your item is MORE than 1/3 the cost of the item, then your order will be delayed until it combined with some other order. You need to work with the Senior Design TA to order from common vendors like Digi-Key, Jameco or Mouser in order to combine your small order with some other team’s order to form a larger order.

1.       USB-to-serial adapter, breadboard, wiring kit – this is generic ‘equipment’ that you should have left over from Microprocessors and is useful after this project is over with – if you lost it or sold it, don’t make the ECE department buy it for you.

2.      PIC Microcontrollers or other parts from Microchip – Microchip has a very good sample program at www.microchip.com.  Please use this for ordering PIC microcontrollers. I will order through normal channels if you cannot get the samples that you need from Microchip.