College of Information and Computer Sciences · UMass Amherst
Inspired by the Maker movement, this course is a hands-on introduction to physical computing: techniques for sensing and responding to the physical world using computers. The focus is on the principles of electronic components and circuits, embedded programming, product design, and rapid prototyping — learned by building things.
Topics include basic electronics and circuit design, microcontroller programming with Arduino and the ESP32, sensing and responding to the physical world, rapid prototyping (3D printing and laser cutting), soft circuits, and wearable electronics. The course runs on in-class exercises, weekly homework, weekly labs, a midterm, and a team final project. A lab section is required.
Prerequisites: COMPSCI 187 (or equivalent experience) and Basic Math Skills (R1). Counts toward the CS BS lab science requirement — currently the only lab science option offered by CICS. 4 credits.
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
Additional office hours are available on request.
Consult the UMass academic calendar for university dates. The schedule below is the plan of record and may shift slightly; changes are announced on Piazza.
| Date | Lecture | Lab | Homework |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/08 (Tue) | 1. Introduction | ||
| 9/10 (Thu) | 2. Resistors | ||
| 9/14 (Mon) | Lab 1. Makerbag and multimeter | ||
| 9/15 (Tue) | 3. Capacitors and inductors | Lab 1 report due | |
| 9/17 (Thu) | 4. Inductors, Diodes, LEDs | HW1 out | |
| 9/21 (Mon) | Lab 2. Capacitors | ||
| 9/22 (Tue) | 5. Transistor | Lab 2 report due | |
| 9/24 (Thu) | 6. Review | HW2 out · HW1 due 11 pm | |
| 9/28 (Mon) | Lab 3. Inductors and diodes | ||
| 9/29 (Tue) | 7. Arduino 1 | Lab 3 report due | |
| 10/01 (Thu) | 8. Arduino 2 | HW3 out · HW2 due 11 pm | |
| 10/05 (Mon) | Lab 4. LEDs and transistors | ||
| 10/06 (Tue) | 9. Arduino 3 (final project intro) | Lab 4 report due | |
| 10/08 (Thu) | 10. Sensing 1 | HW4 out · HW3 due 11 pm | |
| 10/12 (Mon) | Indigenous Peoples' Day — no classes | ||
| 10/13 (Tue) | 11. Sensing 2 (final project ideas) | ||
| 10/15 (Thu) | 12. Motors, servos, stepper motors | HW5 out · HW4 due 11 pm | |
| 10/19 (Mon) | Lab 5. Display | ||
| 10/20 (Tue) | 13. Midterm review | Lab 5 report due | |
| 10/22 (Thu) | MIDTERM EXAM — in class, 1:00–2:15 pm, LGRC A104 | HW6 out · HW5 due | |
| 10/26 (Mon) | Lab 6. Sensors | ||
| 10/27 (Tue) | 14. Processing & RF wireless | Lab 6 report due | |
| 10/29 (Thu) | HW7 out · HW6 due | ||
| 11/02 (Mon) | Lab 7. 3D scanner | ||
| 11/03 (Tue) | Election Day — no classes | ||
| 11/05 (Thu) | Lab 7 report due | HW8. Project site and progress report | |
| 11/09 (Mon) | Lab 8. Processing | ||
| 11/10 (Tue) | 15. Circuit assembly | Lab 8 report due | Presentation slides due (1 pm) |
| 11/12 (Thu) | 16. 3D printing and CAD drawing | HW9. Pulse sensor program | |
| 11/16 (Mon) | Lab 9. Soldering | ||
| 11/17 (Tue) | Final project proposal — 1 | Lab 9 report due | |
| 11/19 (Thu) | Final project proposal — 2 | HW10. Diodes | |
| 11/23 (Mon) | Lab 10. Stepper motor | ||
| 11/24 (Tue) | 17. PCB design | Wednesday class if followed | |
| 11/26 (Thu) | 18. WiFi 1 | HW11. Project milestone report | |
| 11/30 (Mon) | (Bonus) Lab 11. Soldering 2 | ||
| 12/01 (Tue) | 19. WiFi 2 | ||
| 12/03 (Thu) | 20. WiFi 3 & Raspberry Pi | HW11 due | |
| 12/07 (Mon) | Final project work | ||
| 12/08 (Tue) | Final project work | ||
| 12/10 (Thu) | Final project work | ||
| 12/14 (Mon) | Final Project Demonstration |
| Component | Weight | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| In-class exercises | 5% | Every lecture |
| Homework | 20% | Weekly |
| Labs | 25% | Weekly |
| Midterm | 25% | One |
| Final project | 25% | One |
Late submissions are not accepted, except in the case of a documented emergency or medical situation. To absorb ordinary bad weeks, the lowest grades are dropped:
| Component | Policy |
|---|---|
| In-class exercises | Drop 2 lowest |
| Homework | Drop 1 lowest |
| Labs | Drop 1 lowest |
| Midterm | No drop |
| Final project | No drop |
A: 93% · A−: 89% · B+: 85% · B: 80% · B−: 77% · C+: 74% · C: 70% · C−: 67% · D+: 63% · D: 60%
These percentages are approximate and subject to minor adjustment.
The course materials are self-contained and no textbook is required. The following are recommended if you want to read further:
This course is interactive, and the goal is to acquire skills through hands-on experience. You are not allowed to use generative AI tools to complete assignments in this course. All content you submit is ultimately your responsibility; discovered use of such tools is treated as academic dishonesty.
Academic honesty is required of all students at UMass Amherst. Academic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, and facilitating dishonesty, and is prohibited in all programs of the University. Since students are expected to be familiar with this policy and the commonly accepted standards of academic integrity, ignorance of those standards is not normally sufficient evidence of a lack of intent.
Programming assignments raise specific issues. Programming is a creative activity, but one where collaboration is both possible and desired. You may work together as long as two principles are observed: submitted work must be your own with respect to presentation, and all sources of help other than course staff must be declared. You may work out the essential ideas of a solution together, but you must write the actual code separately. Copying and pasting another student's code violates this policy, and course staff check for it, including by automated similarity analysis.
On labs specifically: you may pair up to take measurements and record data, but all data analysis and post-lab questions must be answered and written by you alone.
See the university academic integrity policy.
UMass Amherst is committed to providing an equal educational opportunity for all students. If you have a documented physical, psychological, or learning disability on file with Disability Services, you may be eligible for reasonable academic accommodations. Please notify the instructor within the first two weeks of the semester so that arrangements can be made. See Disability Services.
The class is named "MAKE," embodying the maker movement's motto that "everyone can make." This class embraces and values everyone, regardless of age, background, citizenship, disability, sex, education, ethnicity, family status, gender, gender identity, geographical origin, language, military experience, political views, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and work experience. We all enter this class with different backgrounds — some new to hardware, some with prior experience — and there are no "dumb" questions. See the university guidelines on classroom civility and respect.
Everyone has the right to be addressed by the name and pronouns that they use for themselves. You can indicate your chosen first name and pronouns on SPIRE, and they will appear on class rosters. Please let the instructor know what name and pronouns to use for you if they are not on the roster. A student's chosen name and pronouns are to be respected at all times in the classroom. See the intro handout on pronouns.
UMass is committed to fostering a safe learning environment by responding promptly and effectively to complaints of all kinds of sexual misconduct. If you have been the victim of sexual violence, gender discrimination, or sexual harassment, the university can provide support resources and accommodations. To report an incident, contact the UMass Amherst Equal Opportunity Office (413-545-3464, equalopportunity@admin.umass.edu). Members of the CICS community can also contact Erika Lynn Dawson Head, Director of Diversity and Inclusive Community Development (erikahead@cics.umass.edu, 860-770-4770).
A range of resources are available on campus: