MTE 484Digital Control Applications

Units: 0.50
Faculty: Engineering
Subject: Mechatronics Engineering

When it runs

Ran in 3 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Dynamic system modelling: linear, nonlinear, state-space, sample data systems, computer simulation, system identification. Discrete system stability and dynamic performance. Nonlinear system analysis, limit cycles. Digital control system design: emulation methods, z-domain, frequency domain, pole placement. Implementation of digital controllers. Laboratory projects in computer control of mechatronic and other systems.

Prerequisites

Complete 1 of the following
- Complete all of the following
  - Must have completed the following:
    - ECE380 - Analog Control Systems (0.50)
  - Students must be in level 4A or higher
  - Enrolled in H-Computer Engineering, or H-Electrical Engineering
- Complete all of the following
  - Must have completed the following:
    - MTE360 - Automatic Control Systems (0.50)
  - Students must be in level 4A or higher
  - Enrolled in H-Mechatronics Engineering
- Complete all of the following
  - Must have completed the following:
    - ME360 - Introduction to Control Systems (0.50)
  - Enrolled in H-Mechanical Engineering, or Mechatronics Option
- Complete all of the following
  - Must have completed the following:
    - SYDE352 - Introduction to Control Systems (0.50)
  - Enrolled in Mechatronics Option, or H-Systems Design Engineering

Antirequisites

Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
- ECE481 - Digital Control Systems (0.50)
- ECE484 - Digital Control Applications (0.50)

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
Section	Class	Enrolled	Meets
LEC 001	5345	125 / 126	MWF 11:30–12:20
LEC 002	5346	126 / 126	MWF 13:30–14:20
LAB 201	5342	251 / 252	Online or by arrangement
TUT 101	5343	125 / 126	M 12:30–13:20
TUT 102	5344	126 / 126	T 12:30–13:20

Reviewed on UW Flow

47% liked it21% easy54% useful

From 32 ratings and 28 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

This course is an absolute disaster. The professor is teaching brand new control theory with seemingly no adoption in industry in a mandatory undergraduate course. The claim he makes is that IOP with the simple poles assumption allows you to design your controller to meet specific specs, and upon implementation, it will meet those specs without tweaking. And then you are given a lab which proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that this claim is as realistic as a unicorn eating a 3 dollar bill.
Easily 20-30 hours per lab with no clear details on how to deal with discrepancies between your modeled plant and the real thing coming from people who clearly have never actually done the lab…

Nov 2025 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW Flow Remove this
Probably the most frustrating course of my degree and should clearly be a technical elective, not a required course. While the content does relate to mechatronics and I find it interesting, it is taught as a math course focused purely on theory and proofs, rather than applying control theory to real world problems. This is not what a required engineering course should be. Cumulatively, I spent more time on this course than all others (including capstone) combined and lost any enjoyment for controls as a result. I like Prof Fisher and see him as highly knowledgeable/passionate, but I am very disappointed in this course.

Nov 2025 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW Flow Remove this
Good course. Too many crybabies complaining

Nov 2025 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW Flow Remove this
Lectures are entirely useless for assignments/exam as it's basically a pure math course rigorously proving a bunch of theorems instead of useful examples (as is standard in engineering courses).
Assignments require a good 10 hours per week. Too much effort for just 1% of the course grade (10 assignments total) and are focused too heavily on extending theorems derived in class, instead of practical engineering examples.
Labs are a total disaster. Require 20+ hours to complete and help from TAs is very minimal. They are also heavily out of sync/un-related to lecture material. Don't feel like got much value here and very low weighting for the amount of effort required.
Tutorials are the…

Nov 2025 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW Flow Remove this
This is by far the worst course I've ever taken in my entire degree. The lecture content is mainly proofs with little to no actual application, which is more the style of a math course rather than an engineering course. The labs are horrendously run with absolutely no guidance. They take 10+ hours to complete and good luck if your station has bad sensors. Fisher seems to not have explained the labs to the TAs either so they also don't know what's going on in the labs which means they aren't able to provide useful help. The assignments are based on demonstrated effort but they take a solid 5-7 hours to complete for 1% of your grade each with no useful feedback. This class has supposedly been…

Nov 2025 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW Flow Remove this

Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them