IITM BS Power Management for Electronic Systems (EE5103): Syllabus and Tips

Power Management for Electronic Systems (EE5103) is a 4 credit department elective at the degree level of the IITM BS Electronic Systems programme. It teaches how devices get clean, steady power: linear and switching regulators, designing a buck converter, power in mobile phones, battery charging and energy harvesting for IoT sensors. The handbook lists no prerequisite.

The Sep 2025 syllabus gives the credit pattern 4-0-0-4. The ES handbook lists the same code as a degree level department elective, but prints no credit value next to it. It says the 5 department electives add up to 20 credits, which is 4 each. The syllabus does not name an instructor for this course.

What you learn in Power Management for Electronic Systems

The syllabus has 8 modules and no week plan. They fall into four parts.

1. Modules 1 and 2: the basics. What power management is, why devices need it, the parts of a power system, and discrete versus integrated designs. Then voltage regulators: linear and switching, isolated and non-isolated, the numbers that describe their performance, and how to pick the right part from real vendor products.
2. Modules 3 and 4: how regulators work. Linear regulators and LDOs: the pass device, the error amplifier, loop stability and compensation, protection against overcurrent and short circuits, and sources of error. Switching regulators: where losses come from, volt-second balance, voltage mode, current mode and hysteretic control, ripple, CCM and DCM operation, PSM and PFM modes, and types of PWM.
3. Module 5: designing a buck converter. From the spec to the board: picking the switching frequency, the inductor, the capacitor and the power FETs, gate drivers, component placement and layout, and EMI.
4. Modules 6 to 8: real products. Power in a mobile phone: choosing regulators, power distribution and sequencing, undervoltage lockout and power-on reset, derating, and display and LED backlight drivers. Batteries: types, Li-ion charging stages, battery models, current sensing, fast charging, series and parallel packs, and estimating state of charge. IoT: powering sensors from solar, heat, vibration or RF energy, supercapacitors, maximum power point tracking and ultra-low-power regulators.

The textbooks are "Designing Control Loops for Linear and Switching Power Supplies" by Christophe Basso, and "Practical Power Supply Design" by Ron Lenk. The reference is "Battery Management Systems: Design by Modelling" by Gregory L. Plett.

How the course is assessed

The syllabus does not describe grading. The handbook's general pattern for ES courses is weekly online assignments, two in-person quizzes and an in-person end term exam, with details in each course's grading document. No lab is paired with this course.

Where it counts

It is one of 8 courses on the ES department elective list. You take 5 of them, worth 20 credits, for the BS degree. It is not part of any minor, even though Module 8 is about IoT power. The IoT minor uses Communication Systems, Internet of Things and Computer Networks instead. The full elective list is in ES degree level courses.

Who finds it hard and how to prepare

Two topics trip students up. The first is loop stability and compensation in Modules 3 and 4, which needs Bode plots and feedback. The second is the switching waveforms: it takes practice to picture inductor current and ripple in CCM and DCM.

• Revise feedback, Bode plots and regulators from Analog Electronic Systems. Its weeks 10 and 11 introduce linear and switching regulators.
• Take Control Engineering first if you can. Stability ideas carry straight over.
• Simulate a buck converter in a free SPICE tool. Change the load and watch the converter move between CCM and DCM.
• Read one real regulator datasheet from start to end. The syllabus asks you to choose parts from different companies, and datasheets are where the numbers live.

What to take before and after

Before: Analog Electronic Systems and Control Engineering. The core course Electronic Product Design (EE4102) starts with linear regulators and buck, boost and flyback converters, so it is a natural lead-in. This elective then goes deeper into control loops, batteries and mobile and IoT power.

Common questions

How is this different from Electronic Product Design?

Electronic Product Design is a core course that covers power as one of five modules, next to drivers, magnetics, analog design and motor control. This elective spends the whole course on power, including battery management and energy harvesting.

Is there any battery or charger work in the diploma?

Yes. Analog Electronic Systems has weeks on battery charging and a LiPo charger circuit. This course extends that to Li-ion charging stages, fast charging and state of charge.

Is Power Management offered every term?

The handbook says core courses run every term. It does not say this for electives, so check the course list when registration opens.