This free online engineering course examines the key components and electrical elements of mechatronic systems.

Mechatronic systems merge elements from various technological fields (such as electronics, mechanics and telecommunications) to create systems that perform work more efficiently and precisely. You probably come across many of those elements in daily life, from staple household appliances to cutting-edge new inventions. This course sets you on the path to becoming proficient in mechatronics systems by taking you through their fundamentals. We show you the key elements and principles of the major electronic components used in mechatronics while explaining their various definitions and real-life applications. We teach you the classification and historical development of mechatronics and introduce you to their major components. The course studies examples of mechatronic systems, starting with photocopiers.

The course then moves on to the electronic components of mechatronics. We cover the essential laws that guide the operation of electrical circuits, including Kirchhoff's, Thévenin's and Norton's laws, which can help you to design mechatronic systems. We investigate the characteristics of critical semiconductor devices and show you how they work. We then teach you the characteristics of a ‘p-n junction’ and explain how they apply to the operation of diodes and transistors. The course discusses the operational principle of various types of diodes and demonstrates how to implement them in rectifiers. We describe the characteristics and working principles of various types of transistors. Lastly, the course breaks down how a ‘bipolar junction’ transistor can act as a switch in a system and describes the application of LED phototransistors in the design of an autonomous robot.

To grasp mechatronic engineering, you need to start from the basics and follow its key principles until you become an expert specialist. This introductory course demonstrates how such systems help us in our daily lives and takes you through the circuit schematic symbols of semiconductor devices that are used to design mechatronic systems. These devices are crucial to modern living and this course is designed to serve as a stepping stone to becoming a valued mechatronic engineer, a skill that will only grow in value in the twenty-first century.