Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Science

Unit Outline

RME20001
Electrical Actuators and Sensors
Semester 2 2023

Please read this Unit Outline carefully. It includes:

PART A Unit summary
PART B Your Unit in more detail
PART C Further information
PART A: Unit Summary

Unit Code(s) RME20001

Unit Title Electrical Actuators and Sensors
Duration One Semester or Equivalent
Total Contact Hours 60 Hours
Requisites:

Pre-requisites PHY10004 or EEE10001

Co-requisites
Concurrent pre-requisites
Anti-requisites
Assumed knowledge
Credit Points 12.5
Campus/Location Sarawak
Mode of Delivery Face to Face
Laboratory and Assignment 50%
Examination 50%

As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a

Assessment Summary unit and meet all Unit Learning Outcomes to a minimum
standard, a student must achieve:

(i) an aggregate mark of 50% or more, and

(ii) at least 40% in the final exam.

Students who do not successfully achieve hurdle

requirement (ii) will receive a maximum of 45% as the
total mark for the unit.

Aims
This unit of study introduces you to electrical actuators and sensors as used in robotic and
mechatronic systems and applications.

Unit Learning Outcomes

Students who successfully complete this Unit should be able to:
1. Describe and apply the principles of electromechanical energy conversion, including in
the construction, operation and applications of magnetic circuits, transformers, induction
motors and DC machines. (K1, K3) (EAC PO1)
2. Describe sensors typically used in robotics projects including those for torque, force,
acceleration, velocity, displacement, fluid-flow, and temperature. (K1, K3) (EAC PO1)
3. Safely execute experiments, analyse and interpret results and errors, and formulate
conclusions. (K2, K6, S1, A7) (EAC PO4)
4. Design and execute a project as part of a team, including interpreting requirements,
using engineering methods to problem-solve, applying creative approaches and seeking
opportunities. (K4, K5, S1, S2, S3, S4, A3, A7) (EAC PO4)

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5. Present results in writing and orally as part of a team or individually, demonstrating a
professional image. (A2, A5, A7) (EAC PO9)

6. Demonstrate effective communication to peers and generate high quality documentation

in robotics and mechatronics (progress and project reports, reports of investigations,
design records, drawings, technical descriptions and presentations). (A2, A4) (EAC
PO10)

Graduate Attributes

This unit may contribute to the development of the following Swinburne Graduate Attributes:
• Communication skills
• Teamwork skills
• Digital literacies

Content

• Actuators and Sensors in Mechatronic Systems

• Magnetic Fields and Transformers
• Induction Motors
• DC Motors
• Sensors and Transducers
• Sensor Signal Conditioning
• Interfacing and Motor Control

Key Program Outcomes (Swinburne Engineering Competencies) for this Unit of

Study
This unit will contribute to your attaining the following Program Outcomes (Swinburne
Engineering competencies):
K1 Basic Science: Proficiently applies concepts, theories and techniques of the relevant
natural and physical sciences.
K2 Maths and IT as Tools: Proficiently uses relevant mathematics and computer and
information science concepts as tools.
K3 Discipline Specific: Proficiently applies advanced technical knowledge of the specific
discipline within that context.
K4 Emerging Disciplinary Trends: Interprets and applies current or emerging knowledge
from inside and outside the specific discipline.
K5 Practice Context: Discerns and appreciates the contextual factors affecting professional
engineering practice.
K6 Professional Practice: Appreciates the principles of professional engineering practice in
a sustainable context.
S1 Engineering Methods: Applies engineering methods in practical applications.
S2 Problem Solving: Systematically uses engineering methods in solving complex
problems.
S3 Design: Systematically uses engineering methods in design.
S4 Project Management: Systematically uses engineering methods in conducting and
managing projects.

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A2 Communication: Demonstrates effective communication to professional and wider
audiences.
A3 Entrepreneurial: Appreciates entrepreneurial approaches to engineering practice.
A4 Information Management: Demonstrates seeking, using, assessing and managing
information.
A5 Professional Self: Demonstrates professionalism.
A7 Teamwork: Demonstrates effective team membership and team leadership.

Key Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) Program Outcomes for this Unit
of Study

This unit will contribute to your attaining the following Engineering Accreditation Council
(EAC) Program Outcomes):

PO1 Engineering Knowledge: Apply knowledge of mathematics, natural science,

engineering fundamentals and an engineering specialisation as specified in WK1 to WK4
respectively to the solution of complex engineering problems.
PO4 Investigation: Conduct investigation of complex engineering problems using research-
based knowledge (WK8) and research methods including design of experiments, analysis
and interpretation of data, and synthesis of information to provide valid conclusions.
PO9 Individual and Team Work: Function effectively as an individual, and as a member or
leader in diverse teams and in multi-disciplinary settings.
PO10 Communication: Communicate effectively on complex engineering activities with the
engineering community and with society at large, such as being able to comprehend and
write effective reports and design documentation, make effective presentations, and give
and receive clear instructions.

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PART B: Your Unit in more detail
Unit Improvements
Feedback provided by previous students through the Student Survey has resulted in
improvements that have been made to this unit. Recent improvements include:
• Change of percentage of Final Exam from 60% to 50% (Replaced by mid-term quiz 10% as a
part of assignment task)
• Physical lab experiment
• Update lecture and delivery
Unit Teaching Staff

Name Role Room Phone Email Consultation Times

Ts Dr Tay Fei Siang Unit Convenor E315 260851 fstay@swinburne.edu.my By e-mail appointments
Ms Chai PuiChing Tutor and Lab E324 260837 pchai@swinburne.edu.my By e-mail appointments
demonstrator

Learning and Teaching Structure

Activity Total Hours Hours per Week Teaching Period Weeks

Lectures 36 hours 3 hours Weeks 1 to 12
Tutorials/Laboratory 24 hours 2 hours Weeks 1 to 12

Week by Week Schedule

Week Student Task or
Week Teaching and Learning Activity
Beginning Assessment
Unit introduction
1 Sep-4
Magnetic circuits
Magnetic circuits (cont.)
2 Sep-11 Solve Tutorial 1
Transformers
3 Sep-18 Transformers (cont.) Solve Tutorial 2

4 Sep-25 Induction motors Lab 1 Magnetic Circuits and

Single-phase Transformers
Solve Tutorial 2 & 3
5 Oct-2 Induction motors (cont.)
Solve Tutorial 3
6 Oct-9 DC Motors Lab 1 (10%) Due

Oct-16 Tuition Week

Lab 2 Three-phase Induction
7 Oct-23 DC Motors (cont.) Motor
Assignment (10%)
Solve Tutorial 4
8 Oct-30 Sensors and signal conditioning
Mid-Term Quiz (10%)
9 Nov-6 Sensors and signal conditioning (cont.) Lab 3 Sensors and Signal
Conditioning
Lab 2 (10%) Due
Solve Tutorial 4
10 Nov-13 Sensors and signal conditioning (cont.)
11 Nov-20 Stepper motors, Interfacing and motor control Solve Tutorial 5
Lab 3 (10%) Due

Solve Tutorial 6
12 Nov-27 Revision & Feedback

Dec-4 Tuition Week

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Assessment
a) Assessment Overview

Unit Learning
Individual or Outcomes that
Tasks and Details Weighting Assessment Due Date
Group this assessment
task relates to
1. Laboratory Group 30% 1 ,2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Refer to Weekly Schedule
2. Assignment Individual 20% 1, 2, 5 Refer to Weekly Schedule
Homework (10%)
Mid-Term Quiz (10%)
3. Examination Individual 50% 1, 2 Formal Exam Period

b) Minimum requirements to pass this Unit

As the minimum requirements of assessment to pass a unit and meet all Unit Learning Outcomes
to a minimum standard, a student must achieve:

(i) an aggregate mark of 50% or more, and

(ii) at least 40% in the final exam.

Students who do not successfully achieve hurdle requirement (ii) will receive a maximum of 45%
as the total mark for the unit.
c) Examinations
If the unit you are enrolled in has an official examination, you will be expected to be
available for the entire examination period including any Special Exam period.
The final examination will be a closed book examination. Relevant formulae and
information will be provided with the exam questions.

d) Submission Requirements
Assignments and other assessments are generally submitted online through the Canvas
assessment submission system which integrates with the Turnitin plagiarism checking
service.
Please ensure you keep a copy of all assessments that are submitted.
In cases where a hard copy submission is required an Assessment Cover Sheet must be
submitted with your assignment. The standard Assessment Cover Sheet is available from
the CANVAS course site.

e) Extensions and Late Submission

Late Submissions - Unless an extension has been approved, late submissions will result
in a penalty. You will be penalised 10% of your mark for each working day the task is late,
up to a maximum of 5 days. After 5 working days, a zero result will be recorded.
Any application of extension must be requested latest by 24 hours before the due date,
unless in exceptional circumstances of serious hardships. If you have encountered
serious hardship, for which you can supply documentary evidence you for Special
Consideration form before the due date of the submission. This may be taken into account
depending on the evidence you supply.

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f) Referencing
To avoid plagiarism, you are required to provide a reference whenever you include
information from other sources in your work. Further details regarding plagiarism are
available in Section C of this document.
Referencing conventions required for this unit are: Swinburne Harvard or any standard
referencing guide.
Helpful information on referencing can be found at
https://www.swinburne.edu.my/library/referencing

g) Groupwork Guidelines
A group assignment is the collective responsibility of the entire group, and if one member
is temporarily unable to contribute, the group should be able to reallocate responsibilities
to keep to schedule. In the event of longer-term illness or other serious problems involving
a member of group, it is the responsibility of the other members to notify immediately the
Unit Convenor or relevant tutor.
Group submissions must be submitted with an Assignment Cover Sheet, signed by all
members of the group.
All group members must be satisfied that the work has been correctly submitted. Any
penalties for late submission will generally apply to all group members, not just the person
who submitted.

Required Textbook(s) – available in Swinburne Library online

• Chapman, S. J. (2010), Electric Machinery Fundamentals (5th ed.), McGraw-Hill.

• Bolton,W. (2012). Mechatronics (5th ed.), Pearson.

Recommended Reading Materials – available in Swinburne Library online

• Jouaneh, M. (2013), Fundamentals of Mechatronics, Cengage Learning.

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PART C: FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information on any of these topics, refer to Swinburne’s Current

Students web page https://www.swinburne.edu.my/current-students

Student behaviour and wellbeing

All students are expected to: act with integrity, honesty and fairness: be inclusive, ethical and
respectful of others; and appropriately use University resources, information, equipment and facilities.
All students are expected to contribute to creating a work and study environment that is safe and free
from bullying, violence, discrimination, sexual harassment, vilification and other forms of unacceptable
behaviour.
The Student Handbook describes what students can reasonably expect from Swinburne in order to
enjoy a quality learning experience. The Handbook also sets out what is expected of students with
regards to your studies and the way you conduct yourself towards other people and property.
You are expected to familiarise yourself with University regulations and policies and are obliged to
abide by these, including the Student Academic Misconduct Regulations, Student General
Misconduct Regulations and the People, Culture and Integrity Policy. Any student found to be in
breach of these may be subject to disciplinary processes.
Examples of expected behaviours are:
• conducting yourself in teaching areas in a manner that is professional and not disruptive to
others
• following specific safety procedures in Swinburne laboratories, such as wearing appropriate
footwear and safety equipment, not acting in a manner which is dangerous or disruptive (e.g.
playing computer games), and not bringing in food or drink
• following emergency and evacuation procedures and following instructions given by
staff/wardens in an emergency response

Canvas
You should regularly access the Swinburne learning management system, Canvas, which is available
via the Current Students webpage or https://swinburnesarawak.instructure.com/ Canvas is updated
regularly with important unit information and communications.

Communication
All communication will be via your Swinburne email address. If you access your email through a
provider other than Swinburne, then it is your responsibility to ensure that your Swinburne email is
redirected to your private email address.

Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is about taking responsibility for your learning and submitting work that is honestly
your own. It means acknowledging the ideas, contributions and work of others; referencing your
sources; contributing fairly to group work; and completing tasks, tests and exams without cheating.
Swinburne University uses the Turnitin system, which helps to identify inadequate citations, poor
paraphrasing and unoriginal work in assignments that are submitted via Canvas. Your Unit Convenor
will provide further details.
Plagiarising, cheating and seeking an unfair advantage with regards to an exam or assessment are all
breaches of academic integrity and treated as academic misconduct.
Plagiarism is submitting or presenting someone else’s work as though it is your own without full and
appropriate acknowledgement of their ideas and work. Examples include:
• using the whole or part of computer program written by another person as your own
• using the whole or part of somebody else’s written work in an essay or other assessable
work, including material from a book, journal, newspaper article, a website or database, a set
of lecture notes, current or past student’s work, or any other person’s work
• poorly paraphrasing somebody else’s work

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 • using a musical composition or audio, visual, graphic and photographic work created by
another
• using realia created by another person, such as objects, artefacts, costumes, models
• submitting assessments that have been developed by another person or service (paid or
unpaid), often referred to as contract cheating
• presenting or submitting assignments or other work in conjunction with another person or
group of people when that work should be your own independent work. This is regardless of
whether or not it is with the knowledge or consent of the other person(s). Swinburne
encourages students to talk to staff, fellow students and other people who may be able to
contribute to a student’s academic work but where an independent assignment is required,
the work must be the student’s own
• enabling others to plagiarise or cheat, including letting another student copy your work or by
giving access to a draft or completed assignment
The penalties for academic misconduct can be severe, ranging from a zero grade for an assessment
task through to expulsion from the unit and, in the extreme, exclusion from Swinburne.

Student support
Swinburne offers a range of services and resources to help you complete your studies successfully.
Your Unit Convenor or Student Development and Support can provide information about the study
support and other services available for Swinburne students.

Special consideration
If your studies have been adversely affected due to serious and unavoidable circumstances outside of
your control (e.g. severe illness or unavoidable obligation), you may be able to apply for special
consideration (SPC).
Applications for Special Consideration to be submitted to Student Information Centre (SIC) normally
no later than 5.00pm on the third working day after the submission/sitting date for the relevant
assessment component.

Accessibility needs
Sometimes students with a disability, a mental health or medical condition or significant carer
responsibilities require reasonable adjustments to enable full access to and participation in education.
Your needs can be addressed to Student Counsellors. The plan makes recommendations to
university teaching and examination staff. You must notify AccessAbility Services of your disability or
condition within one week after the commencement of your unit to allow the University to make
reasonable adjustments.

Review of marks
An independent marker reviews all fail grades for major assessment tasks. In addition, a review of
assessment is undertaken if your final result is between 45 and 49 or within 2 marks of any grade
threshold.
If you are not satisfied with the result of an assessment, you can ask the Unit Convenor to review the
result as a local resolution. Your request must be made in writing within 10 working days of receiving
the result. The Unit Convenor will review your result to determine if your result is appropriate.
If you are dissatisfied with the outcomes of the review, you can lodge a formal complaint and apply for
Reassessment.

Feedback, complaints and suggestions

In the first instance, discuss any issues with your Unit Convenor. If you are dissatisfied with the
outcome of the discussion or would prefer not to deal with your Unit Convenor, then you can complete
a feedback form. See Complaints & Feedback.

Advocacy
Should you require assistance with any academic issues, University statutes, regulations, policies and
procedures, you are advised to seek advice from Student Support and Advocacy within the University.
For more information, please see Student Support and Advocacy.

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