Signal Capture

Criteria

Level 0 Unable to complete all of level 1

(0%)

Level 1 List some example real world signals. Explain the difference between discrete
(60%) and continuous signals. Explain the term sampling and provide a rule to avoid
aliasing. Discuss the hardware required to capture an analogue signal onto a
digital signal processor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1dkVDGHlQc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibj_13C5dyg

Level 2 Explain why aliasing occurs in the context of a sinusoidal signal. Explain
(80%) quantisation, why it occurs and its effects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJqseTIWwVY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA1Vl2iBeV0

Level 3 Explain why a sampled sinusoidal signal can be interpreted as having multiple
(90%) possible frequency values.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4-Jr0rftBY

Level 4 Deep understanding - able to engage in discussion easily without prompting

(100%) and/or evidence of having assisted others with this topic.

Signals - Frequency Domain

Criteria

Level 0 Unable to complete all of level 1

(0%)

Level 1 Explain what is meant by the frequency-domain view of signals. Plot the
(65%) magnitude spectrum of signals in matlab against frequency in bins, Hertz or
normalised frequency. Interpret the magnitude spectrum of a signal when
plotted against normalised frequency, Hertz, or bins.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS6jaqeXVok
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IkdNsGQgEM

Level 2 Describe complex exponentials and how they relate to sinusoidal components.
(80%) Explain the concept of negative frequency.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1bLPZdNCRA

Level 3 Discuss the following statement - All signals cannot be represented as a sum
(90%) of sinusoidal segments.
Level 4 Deep understanding - able to engage in discussion easily without prompting
(100%) and/or evidence of having assisted others with this topic.

Discrete Signal Analysis and Manipulation

Criteria

Level 0 Unable to complete all of level 1

(0%)

Level 1 Demonstrate how to select segments of signals. Demonstrate how to

(45%) concatenate/join and combine signals.
http://eleceng.dit.ie/dorran/matlab/resources/Matlab%20Signal%20Processin
g%20Examples.pdf

Level 2 All above plus: Explain why you might choose to use a frequency-domain
(70%) analysis rather than a time-domain analysis.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZcktbDWtas

Level 3 All above plus: Demonstrate how you can use time-domain and frequency
(90%) domain techniques to identify features in signals.

Level 4 All above plus: Deep understanding - able to engage in discussion easily
(100%) without prompting.

Discrete Systems Time-Domain

Criteria

Level 0 Unable to complete all of level 1

(0%)

Level 1 Obtain a systems difference equation or signal flow diagram or B and A

(70%) coefficients given any one of these three system representations. Determine
the output of a system given an input signal consisting of a small number of
samples.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyuyW_UaEgY
http://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=engschelecon

Level 2 Explain what is meant by the impulse response of a digital filter. Discuss the
(85%) differences between FIR and IIR filters.Discuss what is meant by recursive and
non-recursive digital systems.

Level 3 Deep understanding - able to engage in discussion easily without prompting

(100%) and/or evidence of having assisted others with this topic.
Discrete Systems - Frequency Domain
Criteria

Level 0 Unable to complete all of level 1

(0%)

Level 1 Explain the terms magnitude response and phase response. Predict the
(60%) magnitude content of the output of a system given plots of the magnitude
content of the input and a systems magnitude response. Use matlab to
determine the frequency response of a system given a time-domain
representation or impulse response.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhfAA9hZJLM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjvEfmjU7GA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfH5r4cKukg
http://eleceng.dit.ie/dorran/matlab/resources/Matlab%20Signal%20Processin
g%20Examples.pdf

Level 2 Explain why the impulse response can be used to determine the frequency
(70%) response of a system.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RZWvy5p3ts

Level 3 Determine a mathematical description of the time-domain output of a system

(80%) given both the mathematical description of the input to a system and a
mathematical description of the system's frequency response.

Level 4 Determine a mathematical representation of a system's frequency response

(90%) given a time-domain representation of the system.

Level 5 Deep understanding - able to engage in discussion easily without prompting

(100%) and/or evidence of having assisted others with this topic.

Digital Filter Design

Criteria

Level 0 Unable to complete all of level 1

(0%)

Level 1 Explain the terms low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and band reject filters.
(40%) Explain the term normalised frequency. Design and implement a filter using
built-in matlab functions or other tools.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfH5r4cKukg

Level 2 Explain the terms passband, stopband, transition band, passband ripple and
(70%) stopband attenuation in the context of filter specification. Design a minimum
order filter to meet a filter specification using built-in matlab functions or other
tools.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCCQJRJmgLo

Level 3 Compare and contrast FIR and IIR filters. Explain the benefit of linear phase
(80%) filters.

Level 4 Explain the differences between chebyshev, elliptical and butterworth filter
(90%) designs. Explain the relevance of windows with respect to the design of FIR
filters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6r0ruSndhE

Level 5 Deep understanding - able to engage in discussion easily without prompting

(100%) and/or evidence of having assisted others with this topic

Discrete Systems - Z Domain

Criteria

Level 0 Unable to complete all of level 1

(0%)

Level 1 Determine a system's transfer function given its difference equation. Determine
(60%) if a system is stable given its transfer function. Explain how a system's poles
and zeros influence its frequency response.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkDHlFcIs_M
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESKx8PEJCB4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5TP2uG_O2M
https://youtu.be/INjFECcnrWU

Level 2 Use pole-zero placement to determine the B and A coefficients of system

(70%) which meets a "rough" frequency response specification.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m5TP2uG_O2M
https://youtu.be/INjFECcnrWU

Level 3 Explain why poles and zeros typically appear as complex conjugate pairs for
(80%) system's with real coefficients.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4IyRw1zvvA

Level 4 Explain with reference to definition of the Z-Transform why the location of
(90%) poles inside the unit circle indicates that the system is stable.

Level 5 Deep understanding - able to engage in discussion easily without prompting

(100%) and/or evidence of having assisted others with this topic

Signal Synthesis
Criteria
Level 0 Unable to complete all of level 1
(0%)

Level 1 Create basic signals in matlab such as a sinusoid (of specified amplitude,
(60%) frequency, duration and phase), unit step and impulse quickly. Plot signals in
matlab, against time or samples, labelling axes appropriately.
http://eleceng.dit.ie/dorran/matlab/resources/Plotting%20Signals%20in%20Mat
lab.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of_Qav-wru4

Level 2 Explain why the discrete representation,x[n], of a signal x(t) is given by

(75%) x[n]=x(nT), where n is the sample number and T is the sampling interval.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of_Qav-wru4

Level 3 Create any discrete signal (including piecewise signals) from any mathematical
(85%) description of the signal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=of_Qav-wru4

Level 4 Deep understanding - able to engage in discussion easily without prompting

(100%) and/or evidence of having assisted others with this topic

Discrete Fourier Transform

Criteria

Level 0 Unable to complete all of level 1

(0%)

Level 1 Explain what happens if you analyse a sinusoid which has an integer number
(60%) of cycles of the duration of the signal being analysed by the DFT. Explain when
spectral leakage occurs. Explain the purpose of windowing and when a
window should be applied if zero-padding is required. Explain the purpose of
zero-padding. Demonstrate how to window and zero-pad.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ8LTUMGG9U4-
3XntPCnFZxG_1je6FVX1

Level 2 Outline the relationship between the DFT and the DTFT.
(70%)

Level 3 Outline how the DFT works. Explain the bin frequency resolution issues with
(80%) DFT analysis.

Level 4 Explain how zero-padding works.

(90%)

Level 5 Explain how windowing works.

(100%)
Correlation Techniques
Criteria

Level 0 Unable to complete all of level 1

(0%)

Level 1 List applications of correlation. Outline the process of correlating two signals.
(45%) Use matlab to cross-correlate two signals and predict the cross correlation
function returned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_r_fDlM0Dx0&list=PLJ8LTUMGG9U6IcCrK
DUGavUTsBn-0ajIX

Level 2 All above plus: Explain the purpose of normalised correlation and when is
(60%) should (and shouldn’t) be utilised.

Level 3 All of above plus: Demonstrate how you could use correlation to identify the
(90%) presence of one signal in another. Demonstrate how you could use correlation
to identify the local period of a quasi-periodic signal.

Level 4 All above plus: Deep understanding - able to engage in discussion easily
(100%) without prompting.