SYDE 292Circuits, Instrumentation, and Measurements
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Engineering
- Subject
- Systems Design Engineering
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 3 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Active and passive circuit elements, Kirchhoff's laws, mesh and nodal circuit analysis, principle of superposition; step response of first and second order networks; sinusoidal steady state analysis using complex impedance phasors; input-output relationships, transfer functions and frequency response of linear systems; operational amplifiers, operational amplifier circuits using negative or positive feedback; diodes, operational amplifier circuits using diodes; analog signal detection, conditioning and conversion systems; transducers, difference and instrumentation amplifiers, active filters, A/D and D/A conversion.
Prerequisites
- Complete 1 of the following
- Enrolled in Mechatronics Option
- Complete all of the following
- Students must be in level 2B
- Enrolled in H-Systems Design Engineering
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4500 | 97 / 110 | MF 11:00–12:20 |
| TUT 101 | 4817 | 97 / 110 | M 08:30–09:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
77% liked it13% easy85% useful
From 60 ratings and 12 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Charbel Azzi was an excellent teacher for this course. He teaches clearly, and effectively. He is also very fair and understanding. I've heard mixed reviews of this course, but with Charbel, it felt really straightforward. He knows his stuff and clearly enjoys teaching. This is a great course if taught by Prof. Charbel!
Aug 2024 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Incredibly useful but also incredibly difficult. This course will probably require more studying than any course you've taken so far. It covers A LOT of material and the prof breezes through most of it very quickly, so do not miss class and try to keep up.
Jun 2016 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
80% final and extremely hard practice assignments but prof does give lots of hint on what is on the final.
Jun 2016 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Taught by Charbel Azzi. Course is taught well, a bit slow paced but easy to follow. Instructor uses method of attack format to solve questions which can get annoying but its a lifesaver during exams cause of part marks. Fun course overall.
Dec 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Charbel makes this course a breeze
Sep 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
11 posts and comments in 11 threads mention SYDE 292, September 2014 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Spring 2022
A GUIDE ON HOW TO PLAN AN OPTION 29 points, 15 comments
u/1000Ditto: “Hey all, here's an example (by yours truly) of how to plan an option. as someone who has been trying to get many options in but having a hard time, might as well write down my process so others can kind of benefit from it. …”
Winter 2022
Undergrad courses I've taken tier list (details in comments) 161 points, 13 comments
u/MindTheGap9: “… - SYDE292 - I loved this course but might have been the only one - SYDE292L - Orion <3 - ECON206 - Pretty decent. Learned stuff. All I can really ask for. 3A (Covidpocalypse starts here) - SYDE311 - I loved this course, felt like big boy math. Thanks Joe West. …”
Fall 2020
Admissions / High School Megathread (Fall 2020) 316 points, 7,386 comments
“I think we lost track of the old one somewhere, and this is to also help reset the expiry date (these threads archive after six months) Engineering Admissions Blog: https://theroadtoengineering.com/ …”
u/Master_Parsley: “For SYDE students who have taken the more hands-on courses (involving circuits, hardware, prototyping, etc.), what did you think of these courses? …”
u/JunChang1122: “You only have 2 strictly hardware focused classes (SYDE 192/192L and SYDE 292/292L). 192 will give you more experience with embedded systems (binary logic, microcontrollers, arduino architecture, assembly language, etc.) and 292 is the "traditional" engineering circuits course. …”
Fall 2019
[GDT] SYDE 2B vs SYDE 292 Game Day Thread 17 points, 2 comments
u/A_Vuchi: “It's time for another SYDE 2B classic! The rivalry of the 2B systems cohort and circuits has gone on for many generations in the past. Let's see how spicy this midterm ends up being! …”
Fall 2017
Any ex SYDE292 student here 0 points, 1 comment
u/idontlikecheez: “Does the professor curve the final :-( I am so scared”
What course do you currently have no idea what the fuck is happening in right now? 16 points, 47 comments
“title”
u/beenothing: “SYDE 292”
Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments
“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”
u/Jackhofmann: “… SYDE 121 SYDE 161 SYDE 181 SYDE 182 SYDE 202 SYDE 212 SYDE 252 SYDE 262 SYDE 283 SYDE 286 SYDE 292 SYDE 292L SYDE 401 SYDE 411 SYDE 461 SYDE 533 SYDE 543 SYDE 553 SYDE 575 SYDE 631 SYDE 677 SYDE 682 SYDE 740 SYDE 750 SYDE 770 SYDE 780 TAX 600 TAX 614 TAX 616 TAX 619 TAX 620 TN …”
Fall 2016
Trons/Mechs, course selection help please? 1 point, 4 comments
“I'm in SYDE, and looking at a few courses to take as technical electives. Thoughts on ME 269 (electromechanical devices and power processing) and MTE 320 (actuators and power electronics)? …”
u/Shu-Wei: “I took ME 269 in my 3B term and thought it was pretty interesting and useful (MTE 320 wasn't offered in the winter until this year). …”
u/Shu-Wei: “… The labs in ME 269 are fairly straightforward and I found them easier than the SYDE 292 labs. The MTE 420 labs are a direct extension and have the same format. …”
Spring 2016
Going to engineering, not sure what to do 6 points, 13 comments
“Hi, When I applied to waterloo I didn't really give it much thought and just chose mecheng cuz "oh.. cars are cool!" and because I never learned any electricity/programming, and mechanical objects …”
u/Aethereic: “1)For some program transfers (e.g. Tron to Mech or backwards) you don't have to skip a term, but because the course content between Mech and ECE is so different you'll likely have to restart from 1A …”
u/SometimesICryAtNight: “… For example, you'd have to take SYDE292 to cover what we do in MTE220... but SYDE292 covers 2-3 courses in 1, while MTE220 covers pretty strictly instrumentation and sensors. …”
Spring 2015
Any mech eng doing/done the tron option? 1 point, 6 comments
“I just wanna know if there are any mech eng that are doing/done the tron option. I wanna know what courses you took to complete the option (ECE or MTE courses?) and if doing the option itself was …”
u/annihilatron: “https://uwaterloo.ca/mechanical-mechatronics-engineering/future-undergraduate-students/mechanical-engineering/specializations-and-options bottom of the page; link to http://mecheng1.uwaterloo.ca/mechatro/ from that, so I'll rattle off courses I know from there. …”
Fall 2014
Do labs count as courses ? 0 points, 4 comments
“So I need 20 credits or 40 courses to graduate from the cs program (business option), and I took a bunch of bio and Chem labs in first year. Can I count the labs as half courses?”
u/isarl: “Check your transcript; the labs will be listed separately with their own weights, usually as the course number with an L (eg SYDE 292 -> SYDE 292L), if you get credit for them. …”
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)
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