7th Semester

This post is for many of 'em who are not aware or confused with what books to use for the 7th semester subjects, ECE. At this point most of you should be placed & others seriously trying but ultimately study leave is the only time you would want to touch the books again!.. Most colleges start bugging you people with final year projects in 7th sem itself. So., I have given a more detailed version, for each of the subjects which will also let you know where to start and similar things. Here it goes then...

For Optical Communication..., The only book available is Gerd Keiser. This subject may seem too easy to start with, in the study holidays. The theory content in it., is understandable and its quite like any other easy subjects that you would have come across. Before you get too happy.., there is a surprise… This subject has a lot of equations. The much worse thing is.. all of them are final conclusive equations based on some scientist’s story. It’ll be something like – In 1914 this person and his team were able to conclude this topic from nowhere and the equations based on their theory are as follows.. And the equations that follow will be ‘Greeks and Latin’. Sigh!!

-> If you are looking for a local author – there’s Anuradha publications. The author name is Arumugam(Not sure). Which will be of NO use at all, for sure. All answers are cut short from Keiser and are too short to elicit in exams.

So in total.., the examiners will expect you to write the equations, diagrams and some theory scribbled in between. In terms of the chapters., Chap 1 is too easy guys. It only consist all the stuff we already know. Topics as simple as single index fiber, graded index etc. Next, Chap 4., everybody would like this chapter for sure. More theory, few equations, interesting stuff too. Chap 5 is also a good and easy-one comparatively. You’ll have problems with Chap 2 and 3. Chap 2 – too many equations and few Imp topics I remember are material and waveguide dispersion. Pulse broadening topic(a one which everybody tends to avoid) has been asked in the previous years. So., the choice is yours. First half of Chap 3 is easy constituting LEDs., and the second part is a bit vague and lengthy one containing the LASER’s.. though few topics will be easy.

-> Bottom line – We guys thought this to be a easy subject but it ended up to be a nightmare before the day of exam due to lot of equations to mug up. To sum it up… Can be cleared easily.. No doubts!!! It’ll just give you a head-ache.

For Microwave Engineering…, For the first four units you got to refer Samuel Liao and for the fifth unit, its Annapurna Das. There’s no good Local Author. For us, our Mam notes was too good… Actually, it was fully copied from Liao, but the positive thing is, it contained only what was necessary. Fifth unit is kind of easy.. as in., the answers will be repetitive for consecutive topics with only few changes in between.

Guys., don’t get afraid with the big syllabus. Its actually like, they have given the sub headings as well.. So it is just like any other subject. Unit 3 will be repeated twice in some of the copies(syllabus). The interpretation is just this – the second unit topics as in the syllabus copy is elaborated with their subtopics in the first Unit 3 section. And the actual Unit 3 is given in the Second unit 3 section. Unit 3 starts from Klystron topic and the rest all belongs to unit 2.

-> Bottom line – Few juicy topics will keep you alive through out. Don’t conclude the subject to be lengthy from seeing the syllabus. In all… a easy subject.

For TQM…, buy anything guys... its jus stories... We referred Vijayakumar(Not sure of the name). All you need to know is diagrams and the Sub-headings in each topic. Inside story, script, direction everything is yours!!

For VLSI…, The only subject for which I never knew which book I studied, in my whole of engineering. The point is there is no specific book at all for this subject. The ref books given in syllabus also doesn’t contain all that you want. Nothing in no text book will be continuous. All we had was lot of Xerox copies, unknown from which text book it was.

-> You should buy the local author book Rekha., which will be of use to you for studying the topics that isn’t covered or not clear in all of your Xerox copies. Imp point is don’t study everything from this just because it covers most part of the syllabus. All of them are too small answers compared to what is required.

We people had Xerox copies from the start., but no one clear of what to study.., so all of us happened to study in the last few ending days of study leave. And also, fortunately, it was the second exam for us next to TQM. So we were able to allot last four or five days for this alone.

-> Bottom Line – Easiest subject of the lot(very few hard topics & most units are very small)… if you succeed in getting the right Xerox material.

*Where to get the Xerox?? You can get all the text books & references given in your syllabus(there are three to four) from your professors and compare them with the syllabus, get them Xeroxed to what u want. Buying books for your own is a bad idea coz each book will have only twenty to twenty-five pages covering our syllabus.

7th Sem electives to follow in the following post!