ECE Undergraduate Lab Kits

Any questions, contact us at ecekits@ualberta.ca

Rent and/or purchase kits at the ECE Marketplace

The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering is convinced of the significant advantages of hands-on learning for our students!  We are excited to continue offering our students affordable, high-quality electronic equipment and components that are ideally suited for use by students, hobbyists, and professionals both inside and outside the traditional classroom and laboratory settings.

Equipment kits have been available since Fall 2020 for purchase by ECE students and course-specific lab kits have been a part of our program for many years.  During the 2020/2021 academic year, we shipped lab kits to students learning remotely worldwide.

Please note that there are two types of kits: Equipment Kits and Consumable kits.  Equipment kits are generally the kits that have the more expensive equipment that are also reusable and therefore are available for rent and sometimes for purchase.  The consumable kits generally include the other stuff that is required to complete the laboratories but is generally not very valuable second-hand, therefore these kits can only be purchased.

Beginning in Fall 2021, students who do not wish to purchase ECE Equipment Kits will be able to rent them instead.  All rented kits will need to be returned in good working condition in order to avoid additional charges.

All rented and purchased kits need to be picked up or returned to the kitting room in ETLC E5-002 after it has been rented or purchased from the ECE Marketplace.  We are no longer shipping lab-kits to students.  Please wait for a Ready to Pick-up email before coming to pick up your kit during the kitting rooms’ hours of operation.

Expect communication from your lab instructor through eClass in the first week of classes on which lab kits you may need to rent or purchase to complete your laboratory exercises.  The information below gives an overview of what kits are currently available for which courses.

Please contact us at ecekits@ualberta.ca with questions or comments regarding these kits.

Equipment Kits

ECE Equipment Kit

The ECE Equipment Kit includes the essential equipment required for ECE 202, 203, 210, and possibly some third and fourth-year courses, including the capstone design courses. The ECE Equipment Kit will be available to rent for either 1 or 2 terms and can also be purchased.

Each Equipment Kit includes:

  • Digilent Analog Discovery 3 multipurpose instrument (USB digital oscilloscope, waveform generator, spectrum analyzer, network analyzer, logic analyzer)
  • Breadboard connector and cable for the Analog Discovery 3
  • Digital multimeter

Note that refurbished kits may contain older versions of some components. They will still meet your lab’s requirements.

ECE 478 Equipment Kit

The ECE 478 Equipment Kit includes all of the equipment and accessories that are required to complete the laboratories in ECE 478.  This kit can only be rented for one term.

Each ECE 478 Equipment Kit includes:

  • Digital multimeter
  • NanoVNA
  • Various cables
  • Various custom PCB (Filter, WPD, Amplifier)
  • X-Acto knife
  • Steel ruler 15cm
  • Anti-static wrist strap
  • Roll of copper tape, 3mm
  • Cut-resistant gloves
  • Safety glasses
  • Two 9V batteries with battery connector assembly
  • 50Ω Load SMA - male
  • Becen 20dB Attenuator

Consumable Kits

ECE Starter Kits

ECE Starter Kits include basic consumable items required to make use of the ECE Equipment Kit and many Course Kits. Regardless of whether the ECE Equipment Kit is purchased or rented, students will need to purchase an ECE Starter Kit. Students only need one starter kit regardless of how many courses they are taking. The ECE Starter Kit is available for purchase only.

Each Starter Kit includes:

  • Resistor Kit
  • Breadboard†
  • Anti-Static wrist strap
  • Kit of flexible jumper wires (~65PCS)

†   Additional breadboards can be purchased separately if desired.

ECE Course Kits

ECE Course kits are Consumables Kits that contain the specific electronic components or assemblies required to complete laboratory exercises in a particular course. In some courses, they work in conjunction with both an Equipment Kit and/or the ECE Starter Kit to create the lab experiences.

ECE Consumable kits are available for the following courses:

ECE Courses with Consumable Kits

200-Level

300-Level

ECE 202 and ECE 203
(20X kit shared for both courses)

ECE 302

ECE 210

ECE 303

 

ECE 312

 

Lab-kits required for each course

Notes:

Students do not need to purchase the same kit more than once if they are using the same kit in another course or have that kit from a previous semester.

In most laboratories students work in pairs and are allowed to share equipment, students may be allowed to split the cost of a kit, however this is at their own discretion. Look at your laboratories Canvas page or talk to your lab instructors for more information.

ECE 202 - Fall

  • ECE Equipment Kit
  • ECE Starter Kit
  • ECE 20X Consumables Kit

ECE 203 - Winter

  • ECE Equipment Kit
  • ECE Starter Kit
  • ECE 20X Consumables Kit

ECE 210 - Fall

  • ECE Equipment Kit
  • ECE Starter Kit
  • ECE 210 Consumables Kit

ECE 302 - Fall

  • ECE Starter Kit or a Breadboard (sold by EE Club)
  • ECE 302 Consumables Kit

ECE 303 - Fall/Winter

  • ECE Starter Kit
  • ECE 303 Consumables Kit

ECE 312 - Fall

  • ECE Starter Kit or a Breadboard (sold by EE Club)
  • ECE 312 Consumables Kit

ECE 478 - Fall

  • ECE 478 Lab Kit

Available Kits

Equipment Kits

  • ECE Equipment Kit
    • Rent 1/2 terms or Purchase
  • ECE Embedded Equipment Kit
    • Rent only 
  • ECE 478 Lab Kit
    • Rent only

Consumable Kits (purchase only)

  • ECE Starter Kit
  • ECE 20X
  • ECE 210
  • ECE 30X
  • ECE 312

Extra parts

  • ECE - Breadboard - to be purchased by the EE Club
Frequently Asked Questions
  1. Engineering students already pay a premium to take engineering courses. Why are we being asked to pay additional costs for lab equipment?

Students have always been required to purchase low-cost electronic components for labs, but now you can use them to work on labs at home or for your own projects. You will still have access to high-end equipment in the on-campus labs during lab hours. Purchased ECE Equipment Kits are yours to keep.  Much like a calculator or computer, the equipment will be useful throughout your undergraduate education and as you commence your engineering careers.

We strongly believe in the power of hands-on learning and anticipate that you will find significant benefit to having this equipment at your fingertips throughout your engineering education. The test and debugging skills and knowledge you gain by using these tools is not only useful for physical systems but will also help hone your overall problem solving skills and experience. The tuition premium that you pay for lab courses does indeed help us provide hands-on laboratory experience.

  1. Do I have to buy the kit even if I’m only going to use it for one term?

Consumable kits will need to be purchased.  Equipment Kits can be purchased or rented.

  1. Will it be possible for me to purchase the kit contents for less elsewhere?

You are welcome to try, but we doubt it. We purchase the parts using the educational and bulk purchase discounts that we can secure as an educational institution, and we pass those savings along to you. The cost of these kits is 30% to 50% less than what you would pay for these devices if you purchase them on your own. Some kits have custom parts that we have designed and built; they will be difficult to replicate on your own.

  1. When will I be able to place my order?

The ECE Marketplace will be open by the first day of classes if not earlier.

  1. I am not taking any courses with kits, but would like to try the experiments, can I buy a lab kit?

No, the kits are reserved for registered students in courses with lab kits.

  1. Can I return my purchased kit after use?

We are working with the ECE Clubs to help establish a used market for resale for those who do not wish to keep it beyond their program.

  1. My lab kit is missing components, or I have a faulty/broken component. What should I do?

If your lab kit is missing a component, please email ecekits@ualberta.ca and we will instruct you on how to receive that component. If you break or damage a component, you can purchase a new one through an online supplier, such as Digikey.  Contact ecekits@ualberta.ca with any questions.

  1. I have a lab partner. Do we both need a lab kit?

That depends on the course. In many of our courses, the partners will only need one kit to share, please check on your Canvas page or directly with your lab instructor if you are unsure.