ISRO Scientist/Engineer SC (Electronics) study plan

Derive and sketch the DC load line, transconductance, and small-signal voltage gain for BJT CE, CB, CC and MOSFET CS, CG, CD amplifiers from a single set of bias equations, and tabulate the input/output resistance of each configuration.

Solve 25 numericals on diode circuits covering Zener regulation, clipper/clamper, and rectifier ripple factor and PIV, recording every mistake by error type.

Compute the hybrid-pi and hybrid-pi high-frequency cutoff (fT, Miller effect) for two transistor stages and state in writing why the Miller capacitance dominates bandwidth.

Build a one-page formula sheet for Domain 1 covering pn junction, BJT Ebers-Moll, MOSFET regions of operation, and thermal runaway.

Explain in a short written note how feedback (series-shunt, shunt-shunt) changes input/output resistance and bandwidth, with one numeric example each.

Analyze op-amp circuits (inverting, non-inverting, integrator, differentiator, instrumentation amplifier, precision rectifier) and compute gain, offset error, and CMRR effects for each.

Design and numerically verify a Wien-bridge oscillator for 5 kHz and a phase-shift oscillator for 2 kHz, stating the Barkhausen condition explicitly.

Compute loop gain, closed-loop gain, and phase margin for a given op-amp with a two-pole open-loop response, and determine the compensation capacitor value needed for 60 degrees phase margin.

Work through 20 problems on active filters (Sallen-Key low-pass and high-pass, second-order Butterworth) and verify cutoff and Q by hand.

Summarize power amplifier classes A, B, AB, and C with efficiency derivations and crossover distortion mitigation.

Design combinational blocks (4-bit carry-lookahead adder, 4:1 mux realization of a Boolean function, BCD-to-seven-segment decoder) from truth table to gate-level netlist.

Minimize five Boolean functions using Karnaugh maps and verify each with Quine-McCluskey, documenting the prime implicants.

Analyze sequential circuits: derive state tables and state diagrams for JK and D flip-flop based counters, and design a mod-6 synchronous counter with a specified state encoding.

Compute setup, hold, and clock-to-Q timing margins for a two-flop path with given delays and identify the maximum clock frequency.

Explain static and dynamic hazards, and design a hazard-free implementation of one Boolean expression.

Write and hand-trace 8085 and 8051 assembly programs for block addition, data transfer, and delay loops, counting instruction cycles for each.

Map the 8085 memory and I/O space for a given address decoding scheme and compute chip-select ranges for 2 KB and 4 KB EPROM/RAM.

Describe 8051 timer modes, serial port modes, and interrupt vector table, and configure Timer 0 in mode 2 for a stated baud rate with the reload value computed.

Compare memory-mapped and I/O-mapped addressing and identify which peripherals in a given system map where.

Explain pipelining, cache mapping (direct, set-associative), and the difference between RISC and CISC with one concrete example each.

Classify signals by energy/power and compute energy and power spectral density for standard pulses, and state the conditions for a system to be LTI, causal, and BIBO stable.

Compute the Fourier series and Fourier transform of rectangular, triangular, and exponential signals, and apply Parseval's theorem to two numericals.

Apply the sampling theorem: compute the Nyquist rate, design an anti-aliasing filter, and explain quantization noise and SNR for an n-bit PCM system with a worked example.

Analyze LTI systems using Laplace and z-transforms, determine ROC, and check stability from pole locations for five given transfer functions.

Derive the convolution of two rectangular pulses graphically and verify the result by transform-domain multiplication.

Compute AM, DSB-SC, SSB, and FM modulation index, bandwidth, and power efficiency for given parameters, and compare noise performance of AM and FM with derivations.

Design a superheterodyne receiver: select IF, compute image frequency, and explain image rejection and AGC.

Compute link budget for a satellite downlink: EIRP, free-space path loss, G/T, and C/N0, using given values.

Apply the Friis transmission equation and derive the radar range equation, then compute maximum detection range for a stated target RCS.

Explain PCM, PSK, QPSK, and 16-QAM constellations, compute bit error rate trends versus Eb/N0 qualitatively, and state bandwidth efficiency for each.

Derive Maxwell's equations in differential and integral form and apply them to plane-wave propagation in free space and a lossy dielectric, computing skin depth and attenuation.

Compute characteristic impedance, reflection coefficient, VSWR, and stub matching for a 50-ohm line terminated in a complex load using the Smith chart by hand.

Design a rectangular microstrip patch antenna for a stated frequency and substrate, computing patch dimensions and feed-point impedance approximately.

Analyze first- and second-order control systems: compute damping ratio, natural frequency, rise time, settling time, and steady-state error for step, ramp, and parabolic inputs.

Apply Routh-Hurwitz and Nyquist criteria to determine stability and gain margin of three given open-loop transfer functions.

Explain the working of strain gauges, LVDTs, thermocouples, and Hall sensors, and compute bridge sensitivity and error for a given measurement setup.

Analyze a data acquisition chain: signal conditioning, anti-alias filtering, ADC resolution, and error budget, with a worked numerical.

Describe spacecraft power, telemetry, and telecommand subsystems and the role of redundancy and radiation tolerance at block-diagram level.

Tune a PID controller for a given plant using Ziegler-Nichols and verify the closed-loop response by computing phase margin.

Complete two full-length timed mock tests of 60 questions each under exam conditions and log every weak topic.