| Course | Section | CRN | Credits | Meets | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MECH 2510 | X01 | 26345 | 2 | Asynchronous | Online |
| MECH 2510 | X02 | 41693 | 2 | Asynchronous | Online |
| MECH 2515 | 202 | 39283 | 1 | Mon/Wed 9:00–10:15 | GT 517 |
| MECH 2515 | 801 | 41695 | 1 | Tue/Thu 5:00–6:15 | GT 517 |
Term runs 19 August – 4 December 2026; final exams 7–11 December. MECH 2510 and MECH 2515 are corequisites and are taught together; this syllabus covers both. For prerequisites, corequisites, and course fees, see the catalog at catalog.uvu.edu.
Tim Hakala
Email: thakala@uvu.edu
Office: GT 619A
Office hours: Mon/Wed 10:30–12:00 and Tue/Thu 6:15–7:15, held in GT 517 immediately following each lab block. Outside those windows, find me in GT 619A.
MECH 2510 and MECH 2515 are corequisites, so every student in the lecture course is also in a lab section and on campus twice a week — these hours reach everyone. If neither window works, email me and we will find a time.
Covers how to select, install, and troubleshoot sensors in a manufacturing environment. Emphasizes the application of proximity sensors in automation equipment as well as the use of encoders to measure speed and position, pressure transducers, and the use of thermocouples and thermistors to measure temperature. Covers signal conditioning methods to interface sensors to microprocessors and PLCs. Introduces smart sensors and safety-related sensor applications in automation systems. Provides a foundational overview of servo and stepper motor feedback integration and introduces the role of variable speed drives (VSDs) and basic industrial Ethernet communication.
Applies methods for proper selection, installation, and troubleshooting of sensors in a manufacturing environment. Emphasizes the application of proximity sensors in automation equipment as well as the use of encoders to measure speed and position, pressure transducers, and the use of thermocouples and thermistors to measure temperature. Utilizes signal conditioning methods to interface sensors to microprocessors and PLCs. Introduces smart sensors and their role in safety-related automation systems. Introduces industrial Ethernet-based communication for sensor integration and basic IIOT connectivity.
These courses satisfy Discipline Core Requirements in Program. They do not carry General Education, Global/Intercultural, or Writing Enriched graduation requirements.
No textbook purchase is required at this time. Candidate texts are still under review, and assigned readings are provided in Canvas at no cost. If a text is adopted later in the semester, you will be given notice well before anything is required of you — do not buy a book on speculation.
Among the titles under consideration is Instrumentation and Control Systems, William Bolton, 3rd ed. (Elsevier/Newnes, 2021), which matches the sensor, transducer, and signal-conditioning core of this course. The previously used text, Bartelt, Industrial Control Electronics, 3rd ed. (2005), is out of print and has no newer edition.
Supplemental references, manufacturer datasheets, and application notes will be posted in Canvas and are free. You are expected to read manufacturer datasheets in this course — that is the actual literature of the trade.
| Weekly quizzes and assignments | 80% |
| Final exam | 20% |
The two lowest scores in the quizzes-and-assignments category are dropped at the end of the semester. Every item in that category carries the same point value; a larger assignment may be entered as two equally weighted parts.
| Lab assignments | 100% |
Every lab is scored on the same rubric:
| Steps performed and documented | 70% |
| Check-offs | 10% |
| Reflection | 10% |
| Cleanup of the work area | 10% |
Cleanup is scored per station; all students working at a station receive the same cleanup score, except that a student who leaves before the area is released may be scored zero individually. The two lowest lab scores are dropped at the end of the semester.
MECH 2510 and MECH 2515 are graded separately and carry separate grades.
Work is due at the posted deadline. Late work is accepted only when an exception for unusual circumstances has been cleared with the instructor in advance. There is no automatic late-penalty lane and no blanket extension — work that is simply late, with nothing arranged beforehand, is not accepted.
Work covered by such an exception must still be submitted within one week of its original deadline; Canvas closes submission at that point. The only exceptions to the one-week limit are a University-approved accommodation arranged through Accessibility Services and an approved religious accommodation.
In the laboratory, only the written portion of a lab may be submitted late. Check-offs and cleanup of the work area are earned during the scheduled session and cannot be made up.
Lab attendance is required. The laboratory is hands-on and equipment-dependent — six stations and limited spares — so a session cannot be repeated outside its scheduled block, and there are no make-up labs. MECH 2510 is asynchronous and has no attendance requirement.
You do not need to explain an absence. Your two lowest lab scores are dropped automatically at the end of the semester, and a missed lab is a zero that may be one of those two. That allowance covers illness, car trouble, work conflicts, and bad days — combined. It is the only flexibility built into the lab grade. A third missed lab is a zero that stays.
Safety instruction given at the start of a session is mandatory; a student who misses it may not work at a bench that day.
Reading assignments will be posted each week in Canvas and will focus on assigned chapters, sections, and manufacturer datasheets. Supplemental references, online or otherwise, are optional.
Lectures align with the course learning outcomes. Case studies, industry examples, and current events pertaining to safety or technology advances may also be included. Key topics are:
AI tools are welcome in this course for research given the following conditions and restrictions.
Permitted uses: Research, drafting, debugging, or refining your work.
Any AI output requires your careful review, evaluation, and verification. You must cite any use of AI. Final submissions must reflect your own personal understanding, whether or not using AI.
Mandatory attribution: You must include a note for every use of AI (e.g. “ChatGPT 4o was used for outline refinement”) that is obvious, clear, and directly attached to your submitted work.
Prohibited: You are not allowed to include AI-generated content for any work that is represented as 100% your own; when any part of your work is modified by AI, you are forbidden from claiming the work as 100% your own. You must include a written note of attribution (citation) for every use of AI.
Responsibility: You remain accountable for accuracy, proper citations, and compliance with UVU academic-integrity policies.
This course does not use remote testing software.
Students needing accommodations due to a permanent or temporary disability, pregnancy or pregnancy-related conditions may contact UVU Accessibility Services at accessibilityservices@uvu.edu or 801-863-8747. Accessibility Services is located on the Orem Campus in BA 110.
Deaf/Hard of Hearing students requesting ASL interpreters or transcribers can contact Accessibility Services to set up accommodations. Deaf/Hard of Hearing services can be contacted at DHHservices@uvu.edu. DHH is located on the Orem Campus in BA 112.
At Utah Valley University, faculty and students operate in an atmosphere of mutual trust. Maintaining an atmosphere of academic integrity allows for free exchange of ideas and enables all members of the community to achieve their highest potential. Our goal is to foster an intellectual atmosphere that produces scholars of integrity and imaginative thought. In all academic work, the ideas and contributions of others must be appropriately acknowledged and UVU students are expected to produce their own original academic work.
Faculty and students share the responsibility of ensuring the honesty and fairness of the intellectual environment at UVU. Students have a responsibility to promote academic integrity at the university by not participating in or facilitating others' participation in any act of academic dishonesty. As members of the academic community, students must become familiar with their rights and responsibilities. In each course, they are responsible for knowing the requirements and restrictions regarding research and writing, assessments, collaborative work, the use of study aids, the appropriateness of assistance, and other issues. Likewise, instructors are responsible to clearly state expectations and model best practices.
Further information on what constitutes academic dishonesty is detailed in UVU Policy 541: Student Code of Conduct.
Utah Valley University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 and over), disability, veteran status, pregnancy, childbirth, or pregnancy-related conditions, citizenship, genetic information, or other basis protected by applicable law, including Title IX and 34 C.F.R. Part 106, in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services. Inquiries about nondiscrimination at UVU may be directed to the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights or UVU's Title IX Coordinator at 801-863-7999 – TitleIX@uvu.edu – 800 W University Pkwy, Orem, 84058, Suite BA 203.
UVU values and acknowledges the array of worldviews, faiths, and religions represented in our student body, and as such provides supportive accommodations for students. Religious belief or conscience broadly includes religious, non-religious, theistic, or non-theistic moral or ethical beliefs as well as participation in religious holidays, observances, or activities. Accommodations may include scheduling or due-date modifications or make-up assignments for missed class work.
To seek a religious accommodation, a student must provide written notice to the instructor and the Director of Accessibility Services at accessibilityservices@uvu.edu. If the accommodation relates to a scheduling conflict, the notice should include the date, time, and brief description of the difficulty posed by the conflict. Such requests should be made as soon as the student is aware of the prospective scheduling conflict.
While religious expression is welcome throughout campus, UVU also has a specially dedicated space for meditation, prayer, reflection, or other forms of religious expression.