​Special Announcements
1239 Design Lab Picture request - Please submit your photos from the lab here
​​WIFI PRINTING UPDATE
  • Spring Senior Design Expo pictures​
  • Designlab and Embedded lab Cellular WiFi access points are up and running! Please see the lab for the Password. 
  • New Lab kit room 1221 is locked! TA and Faculty access only! Key is in the lockbox on the doorframe.

Student Electronics Resource Center

Welcome to the Student Electronics Resource Center (SERC) located in the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering Electrical and Computer Engineering Department.

We can be found on the 12th floor of Benedum Hall in room 1217 during normal business hours to help with your electrical and computer engineering questions and projects. 

If you are interested in registering for SERC as a course, please reach out to your advisor for ECE 1890. It is a one-credit course that will walk you through PCB design, soldering, Electronic Identification, 3D Printing and Laser Cutting. 

ABOUT US

The Student Electronics Resource Center at the University of Pittsburgh was founded in 2016 by Jim Lyle and William McGahey, with the all-encompassing idea that students should have fundamental hands on knowledge passed down to them by skilled members of the department.
 
Today's students have a passion for hands on learning. This allows us to easily enhance their classroom education by providing real world experience in electronic design, manufacturing, hand assembly (soldering), inspection, finishing and re-purposing.
 
Our talented staff have several decades worth of industry, military, and educational experience in many diverse fields. Our instruction is drawn from this and the classes are regarded as exciting and meaningful by everyone.
 
SERC has given the Swanson School of Engineering a leading edge in augmenting the classroom experience with the practical side of learning. We look forward to seeing you in SERC soon! Room 1217
Safety:
  1. Safety Procedures 
  2. Standard Operating Procedures ​

Beginner Level:​
  1. Beginner Soldering
  2. Repurposing
  3. Electronics 
  4. ​​Test Equipment 
  5. 3D Printing 
  6. 555 Timer using Eagle ECE-1890

Intermediate Level:
  1. Computer Fundamentals - See Bill McGahey for signup 
  2. Networking Fundamentals - See Bill McGahey for signup
  3. Glowforge Laser Cutter - See Jim or Bill for Training

Advanced Level:
  1. Surface Mount Soldering - See Jim Lyle for signup
  2. Advanced PCB Design and Layout

Extra Labs:
  1. Regenerative Braking
  2. C Programming
  3. ​Automotive Class (See Jim Lyle for signup)
  4. ​Machine Shop (Lathe, Drill Press, Band saw,)
  5. Express Surface Mount Soldering Tutorial
  6. Comsol MultiPhysics - Simulation Study Training

External Resources:
  1. Surface Mount vs Through Hole Explained (document)
  2. PCB Design Presentation (slides)
  3. PCB Design Notes for ECE-1890 (document)
  4. How to Use a Breadboard (video)
  5. A Simple Guide to Electronic Components (video)
  6. How to Solder (video)
  7. How to Build a Traffic Light (slides)
  8. ​How do Stepper Motors Work (video)
  9. How do DC Motors and BLDC Motors Work (2 videos)
  10. Detailed C Programming Tutorial (GitHub)
  11. SparkFun Schematic and Board Layout Tutorials
  12. Elenco Solder Practice Kit assembly Video
  13. Box creator for GlowForge Laser cutter
  14. Graduating Seniors Checklist
  15. High Speed Circuit Design Considerations
  16. Controlling a Stepper Motor with an H-Bridge 
​
​