07 Chapter Map - Multivibrators, Memory & Converters
Chapter 7 Overview & Map of Content (MOC)
Multivibrator topologies (BJT and 555 timer), semiconductor and magnetic memory, Digital-to-Analog Converters (weighted-resistor and R-2R ladder), and Analog-to-Digital Converters (Flash, dual-slope, successive approximation).
📚 Study Notes Index
| # | Note | What it covers | PYQ years | Typical marks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7.01 | 7.01 Multivibrator Topologies (Astable, Monostable, Bistable & 555 Timer) | Astable, monostable, bistable, 555 timer | none | — |
| 7.02 | 7.02 Semiconductor & Magnetic Memory Systems | Magnetic core memory, EPROM/E²PROM, RAM/ROM classification | 2015–2025 (every paper) | 5–12 |
| 7.03 | 7.03 Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC Topologies & Analysis) | Weighted-resistor vs R-2R comparison, R-2R proof, resolution/accuracy/settling time | 2017–2025 | 6–10 |
| 7.04 | 7.04 Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC Topologies & Applications) | Dual-slope proof, SAR balance-and-weights, Flash | 2015–2025 (every paper) | 8–15 |
| 7.05 | 7.05 Chapter 7 Master PYQ Solutions & Converter Puzzles | Additional worked converter problems | — | — |
🎯 Exam Weight
The densest concentration of repeat questions in the entire course
Four questions account for essentially every mark this chapter has ever been worth:
Rank Question Appearances Marks Note 1 Dual-slope A/D proof 10 8–13 7.04 Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC Topologies & Applications) §3.2 1 Short notes on EPROM and E²PROM 10 5–10 7.02 Semiconductor & Magnetic Memory Systems §3 3 Magnetic core memory — read/write process 8 8–12 7.02 Semiconductor & Magnetic Memory Systems §2 4 Weighted-resistor vs R-2R ladder DAC 7 7–10 7.03 Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC Topologies & Analysis) §4 That is 30–40 marks per paper from four questions, and three of the four are purely descriptive — no derivations, no circuit analysis. The dual-slope proof is four lines of integration.
If revision time is short, this chapter is the highest return per hour in ECE 2103.
Rising items in recent papers
- R-2R proof — new in 2024, repeated 2025
- Define resolution / accuracy / settling time — 2024 and 2025
- SAR balance-and-weights design — 2021, 2023, 2025
- Magnetic core “read and write” — the question expanded from write-only (2015–2020) to both (2021 onward)
The pattern suggests Chapter 7 is being examined more heavily over time, not less.
Syllabus topics with no exam history
Multivibrators — astable, monostable, bistable and the 555 timer — have never appeared in any paper from 2015 to 2025, despite occupying Week 8 of the teaching plan and an entire note (7.01 Multivibrator Topologies (Astable, Monostable, Bistable & 555 Timer)).
Also unexamined: Flash ADC, quantization-error numericals, RAM vs ROM and SRAM vs DRAM comparisons.
Read them once for coverage — a topic with no history is not the same as a topic that cannot appear — but do not let them compete with the four questions above.
🔗 Related Resources
- Course Teaching Plan: ECE 2103 - Digital Electronics and Logic Circuits
- Instructor: Foysal Sir (Instructor 2), Weeks 8–12
- Previous chapter: 06 Chapter Map - Registers & Counters
- Foundation: 5.01 Sequential Logic Fundamentals, Latches & Flip-Flops (SR & JK) — a flip-flop is the semiconductor memory element that §7.02 generalises