IITM BS Electronics System Project (EE3999): Syllabus and Tips

The Electronics System Project (EE3999) is a hands-on project course at the diploma level of the IITM BS Electronic Systems programme. It runs for about two months under the guidance of IIT Madras faculty. You work online first, then spend about two weeks at IIT Madras to build, test and present your solution. You need the Analog Electronics Laboratory and the Sensors Laboratory done before, or taken in the same term.

The credit mismatch

The Sep 2025 syllabus gives this project the pattern 0-0-0-3, which is 3 credits. The ES handbook lists it as 2 credits in both of its course tables. The handbook's diploma total of 43 credits only adds up with 2 credits per project. Ask support which number applies to your batch before you plan your credit count.

The syllabus lists it among diploma courses, and the handbook agrees. Oddly, the syllabus description calls it part of the degree level curriculum. Treat it as a diploma course, since both course lists say so.

The syllabus names four instructors: Prof. Sankaran Aniruddhan, Prof. Boby George, Prof. Janakiraman Viraraghavan and Prof. Lakshmi Narasimhan Theagarajan.

How the project runs

The syllabus does not give a week plan. It describes three stages.

1. Online start. You work alone or in a small team, with a professor as guide. You pick a problem and begin design and early development with online mentoring. Topic areas named in the syllabus include embedded systems, signal processing, control systems and IoT.
2. Campus stage. You spend about two weeks at IIT Madras. You use the lab facilities there to build a working prototype and test it.
3. Presentation. You present your solution at the end of the campus stage. The syllabus also stresses teamwork, communication and project management.

How to plan it

• Pick the term with your labs in mind. The handbook's study plans put this project in the same term as the Sensors Lab. The plans show about 2 weeks on campus for the projects and 2 days for the Sensors Lab, so one trip may cover both. See ES campus visits.
• Ask for leave early. Two weeks away from college or work needs planning. The handbook gives visit windows (December to January, May to July, September to October), not exact dates.
• Keep the scope small. Two months goes fast. Aim for a basic working version before you travel, and use campus time for testing and fixing.
• Reuse what you built. Circuits from the Sensors and Applications Lab and the Analog Electronics Lab are good starting blocks. Bring your lab kit and notes.
• Split work clearly in a team. Decide early who owns the circuit, the code and the report. Keep one shared folder with schematics, code versions and photos of each test.

How the project is assessed

The syllabus says you prototype, test and present your work, but it gives no marks split. The ES handbook has no separate grading rules for projects either. Ask your faculty guide at the start how the final presentation is judged.

Where it counts

It is one of the 2 project courses in the ES diploma. You need it for the Diploma in Electronic Systems and the BS degree. The diploma checkpoints also count projects. For students they apply to, the handbook asks for at least 1 project within 6 terms of starting the diploma, and both projects within 9 terms. Read the details in ES checkpoints.

Who finds it hard and how to prepare

Students who have only followed step-by-step lab sheets find the open problem hard. There is no fixed answer to check against. Weak debugging habits also cost days on campus.

• Before the term, build one small circuit of your own design on your kit, without a lab sheet.
• Practise reading datasheets for sensors and op-amps.
• Keep a daily log. It makes the final presentation much easier to write.

Common questions

Can I finish the whole project from home?

No. The syllabus includes an on-campus stage of about two weeks at IIT Madras, where you build, test and present.

Can I do the project alone?

Yes. The syllabus says students work in small teams or on their own, guided by professors.

Can I take both diploma projects in the same term?

The handbook's course table puts both projects in the same semester 5 block. Each has its own corequisites. The other one, the Signal Processing Project, needs Signals and Systems and Digital Signal Processing.

Is this the same as the apprenticeship?

No. This is a diploma project guided by faculty. The apprenticeship is optional, sits at the degree level and is done with a company or research group for up to 8 months.