Conference Session

Effective Projects and Experiments in Instrumentation and Control

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mohamad A. Mustafa, Savannah State University; Asad Yousuf, Savannah State University; Jeff Kesling

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

. The first stationwill usually be a benchmark. A benchmark is a permanent point published by federal, state, Page 22.1302.2provincial, and municipal agencies. These points are established, known elevations and are set toresist vertical movement.To determine the elevation at a station, first, the level needs to be placed at a location such that itcan sight the rod at both a previous and the next station, and should be as close to equidistant toboth as possible. The first reading is to determine the backsight (BS), found by recording the rodmeasurement at the benchmark, also called STA 1. All readings taken on a point of knownelevation are

Conference Session

Great Ideas for Projects that Teach Instrumentation

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Meghan Marie Rock, Rochester Institute of Technology; Harry Marx, Rochester Institute of Technology; Seth M. Kane, Rochester Institute of Technology; Robert Garrick, Rochester Institute of Technology; Larry Villasmil, Rochester Institute of Technology, College of Applied Science and Technology; James H. Lee, Rochester Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

insight into this innovative learning experience.IntroductionAlthough remote laboratory experiments have been studied for educational applications since theearly 1990’s, they are still in their infancy, and are only recently becoming a reality. 1 Moore’sLaw proposes that computer technology development doubles every year, and completeddevelopmental stage can then be utilized the next year to continue these advancements. 2 Takinginto account this exponential growth in computer technology, remote laboratories are now at adevelopmental stage where their potential to become an essential tool for science education ispromising.It is not uncommon to see simulations of experiments used as supplementary educational tools.These virtual laboratories exist

Conference Session

Effective Projects and Experiments in Instrumentation and Control

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Herbert L. Hess, University of Idaho, Moscow

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

presented these commands to the charger forautomatic implementation. As required, a human operator verified the loop, comparingcommands to resulting voltage and current readings. Initial testing of the prototype showedcommunications were established with Charger #1. Subsequent designs, accomplished as afollow-on project for a graduate student, completed the interface for the remaining chargers.This paper describes the design process, including both hardware and software design, as wellimplementation and testing, performance results, and recommendations for further improvement.Introduction The US Navy operates an experimental quarter-scale submarine to test new concepts innaval architecture. This submarine is an all-electric ship, run by a

Conference Session

Great Ideas for Projects that Teach Instrumentation

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David R. Loker, Pennsylvania State University, Erie; Robert Weissbach, Pennsylvania State University, Erie; Adam Henry, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

time response characteristics for this system are sufficiently slowsuch that control theory for dynamic control applications is not needed4.Conveyor SimulatorThe conveyor simulator uses a 24V dc motor that draws approximately 300mA, Plexiglas sidewalls, sandpaper for the track, and three OR500-ND infrared proximity sensors5. A pre-made partgets placed in front of the first infrared sensor which will start the dc motor. The part will continuedown the conveyor at an approximate speed of 1 inch/second until a second infrared sensor isreached and the conveyor will stop. The part will be stamped by the user, and then the part willcontinue down the conveyor until the third and final infrared sensor. Then the conveyor will stopoperation and wait for

Conference Session

Great Ideas for Projects that Teach Instrumentation

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Saeed B. Niku, California Polytechnic State University; Ross James Miller

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

AC 2011-2535: DESIGNING DEVICES TO HELP THE DISABLEDSaeed B. Niku, California Polytechnic State University Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly since 1983, author of many papers in robotics, design, engineering eduaction and others, author of two textbooks, 1) Introduction to Robotics: Analysis, Control, Applications”, Second Edition, Joh Wiley and Sons, 2011, 2) Creative Design of Products and Systems”, John Wiley and Sons, 2009. Two patents on Flexible Fasteners.Ross James Miller Page 22.443.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2011 Designing Devices

Conference Session

Great Ideas for Projects that Teach Instrumentation

Collection

2011 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

El-Sayed Aziz, Stevens Institute of Technology; Zengqian Wang, Stevens Institute of Technology; Sven K. Esche, Stevens Institute of Technology; Constantin Chassapis, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

across many of the major engineering disciplines around the world. Severalsoftware architectures and technologies for remote laboratories have been proposed andimplemented over the last years.1 Organizations usually choose and adopt one solution based ontheir needs, previous experience, available software and software development tools as well asthe skills and expertise of the developers. Each solution has its advantages and disadvantages. Inthis context, there is an increasing need for a unified method for developing and presenting suchremote-access laboratory resources in order to allow potential users to easily and efficiently usethem.The aim of this paper is to present a modularized and scalable system architecture for remoteexperimentation

Conference Session

Instrumentation in Education

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Asad Yousuf, Savannah State University; Mohamad Mustafa, Savannah State University; Alberto De La Cruz, Savannah State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

Page 15.996.2subject matter and foster deeper learning.Project based learning consists of five criterions:(1) PBL projects are central, not peripheral to the curriculum. This criterion has two corollaries. First, according to this defined feature, projects are the curriculum. In PBL, the project is the central teaching strategy; students encounter and learn the central concepts of the discipline via the project. There are instances where project work follows traditional instruction in such a way that the project serves to provide illustrations, examples, additional practice, or practical applications for material taught initially by other means. However, these "application" projects are not considered to be instances of PBL

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Measurement Innovation

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gary Mullett, Springfield Technical Community College

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

and the deployment of geographically widespreadsensor networks. Recently, with a new administration in place, initiatives in clean and renewableenergy and efforts to improve the efficiency of our aging infrastructure have rapidly gainedtraction on both a federal and state level. Under the 2009 American Recovery and ReinvestmentAct (ARRA), funding through the Department of Energy (DOE) for $36.7 billion dollars hasbeen allocated to various energy related initiatives1. Figure 1, shown here, gives a furtherbreakdown of the general areas to be funded. Figure 1 – Breakdown of DOE funding from the ARRA Act (Source DOE)Through the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) there is funding for$16.8 billion dollars for various

Conference Session

Instrumentation and Measurement Innovation

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Loker, Pennsylvania State University, Erie

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

. Grading for the project consists of 60% based on meeting all of Page 15.450.2the engineering requirements (no partial credit is given), 30% based on the content of the report, and10% based on spelling, grammar, and writing style. There is a 10% reduction for late submittals. Alisting of the projects for the course is shown below. • Lab 1: Software-defined Calculator Project (2 weeks) • Lab 2: Thermocouple Project (2 weeks) • Lab 3: Waveform Generator Project (2 weeks) • Lab 4: Digital Multimeter Project (3 weeks) • Lab 5: Elevator Control

Conference Session

Programs Using New Instrumentation Concepts

Collection

2010 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jerry Keska, University of Louisiana, Lafayette

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

laboratories, an extensive processthat adapted it to the needs of mechanical engineering was implemented. This included thedevelopment of completely new experiments that involved newly-designed hardware andinstructions that were all developed and built in-house with student participation. Educational LaboratoryThere are three basic types of engineering laboratories where physical experiments areconducted—educational, developmental, and research-focused.1 This paper deals with aneducational laboratory in Instrumentation and Measurements for mechanical engineering students.In this particular class, the students received their first serious exposure to the physicalexperiments, experimentation, and lab tools that are used

Conference Session

Instrumentation Technical Session I

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kenneth E. Dudeck, Pennsylvania State University, Hazleton Campus; Wieslaw Grebski, Pennsylvania State University, Hazleton Campus

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

conservation as well asdevelopment of renewable energy resources must be vigorously pursued in order to find asolution to this dilemma. The entire public must be vested towards making a transition from afossil fuel based society to one that utilizes a far greater amount of renewable energy resources.According to Elder (2009) “Higher education has a critical role to play in this transition, much asit did during the space race of the 1960s. Our colleges can - and must - help students understandthe complex connections and interdependencies among our environment, energy sources, andeconomy - all of which underpin the green movement.”[1]The present situation is very similar to the 1960’s when the entire country was unified towardsplacing a man on the moon

Conference Session

Instrumentation Technical Session II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Marshall, University of Southern Maine

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

the individualcomponents and fabricate the PLC modules themselves.This manuscript discusses the need for including PLCs into the curriculum, and how thePLC modus modules discussed here are used in a course entitled Applied Process ControlEngineering which can briefly be described as a study of the fundamental concepts,devices, and applications of electronic components and controllers utilized on industrialequipment. Laboratory sessions focus on instrumentation, programming, downloading,and wiring discrete input / output devices.Specific Course Competencies of the course include the ability to: 1. Identify major applications of programmable logic controllers in industry, transportation, construction, and environmental

Conference Session

Instrumentation Technical Session III

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Asad Yousuf, Savannah State University; Alex Wong, Digilent Inc.; Derek W. Edens

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

. Page 23.1033.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2013 Remote Circuit Design Labs with Analog DiscoveryAbstractThe limited resources in the traditional labs have restricted the effective and innovative circuitdesign projects from freshmen Circuits 1 class to Capstone ideas. The limited number ofmeasuring and signal-generating instruments makes it difficult for students to engage in theseprojects when they need to share these instruments or schedule to use them at a specific time.Furthermore, it is a challenge for students to learn how to use various instruments includingpower supplies, multi-meters, oscilloscopes, and function-generators if not used in conjunctionwith each other. Likewise

Conference Session

Instrumentation Technical Session I

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Akram Hossain, Purdue University, Calumet (Tech); Mohammad A. Zahraee, Purdue University, Calumet (Tech)

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

University Calumet has 150 students, the second largest enrollment for such degree. Page 23.1034.1 c American Society for Engineering Education, 2013 Page 1 of 13 REMOTE DEMONSTRATION OF PACKAGING MACHINERY & MECHATRONICS SYSTEMS VIA PUBLIC NETWORKABSTRACTThe ability of remotely operating and visually demonstrating a packaging machine is quiteattractive to an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer). Currently, the customer needs to cometo the OEM

Conference Session

Instrumentation Technical Session

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Thiruparan Balachandran, Middle Tennessee State University; Saleh M. Sbenaty, Middle Tennessee State University; Jeffrey Walck, Middle Tennessee State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

translate physical parameters into electrical signals [1]. Inearly days, these sensors were normally coupled with complex digital systems or with computersin order to monitor and control the physical parameters of interest. Those systems were complex,expensive, and large in size. Advancement in technology grew rapidly with the introduction ofmicrocontrollers. The fast developments of these devices have made it possible to replacecomplex electronic systems with simple and cost effective platforms to interface sensors andprovide the necessary measurements. A microcontroller is a device that may have a CentralProcessing Unit, random access memory, read only memory, timers, counters, Analog to Digital(A/D) converters, Input/Output (I/O) ports and/or

Conference Session

Instrumentation Technical Session II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Akram Hossain, Purdue University, Calumet (Tech); Tanima Zaman, Ivy Tech Community College, Northwest

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

23.1275.2Introduction:Robotics has become one of the essential segments of modern automation systems. Autonomousmobile robots are noticeably being used in various industrial and non-industrial applicationsnowadays. The purpose of this project was to study the National Instrument’s Robotic StarterKit 1.0 (DaNI) and to develop a graphical programming model in LabVIEW Robotics Module2011 for combining mobile robot path planning and collision avoidance concepts. The LabVIEWprogram enables the mobile robot to travel from a user defined starting point A to a destinationpoint B through avoiding undefined obstacle on its route. The LabVIEW program is based on the“Sense, Think and Act”1 concept where the robot senses for obstacles in its route by anultrasonic sensor, makes a

Conference Session

Instrumentation Technical Session II

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mingshao Zhang, Stevens Institute of Technology; ZHOU ZHANG, Stevens Institute of Technology (School of Engineering and Science); Sven K. Esche, Stevens Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

single-point tracking) to calculate the positions anddeformations of objects, which results in low drifting error. Taking advantage of these desirablecharacteristics, Kinect is believed to have the potential for becoming an economical and versatiletool for adoption in a wide variety of educational laboratories.1. IntroductionA data acquisition system is usually defined as an electronic instrument or group of interconnectedelectronic hardware apparatus used for the measurement and quantization of analog signals fordigital analysis or processing of certain physical phenomena [1]. Compared to traditional hands-ononly laboratories, experiments equipped with a DAQ system can hold considerable value for thestudents’ learning outcomes. The students

Conference Session

Instrumentation Technical Session III

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Hugh Jack, Grand Valley State University

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

set xinfreq = 5_000_000 ‘ the clock to 80MHz VAR long SqStack[6] ‘ Stack space for Pulse cog Page 23.1343.4 long X ‘ timer flag PUB Main ‘ A program to set output 16 with a counter X X := 0 ‘ Initialize X dira[16] := 1 ‘ Pin 16 is set as an output cognew(Pulse(), @SqStack) 'Launch Pulse cog repeat ‘ and endless loop if X == 1 ‘ Switch the output pin to match X outa[16] := 1 ‘ Turn on pin 16 else outa[16] := 0 ‘ Turn

Conference Session

Instrumentation Technical Session I

Collection

2013 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Asad Yousuf, Savannah State University; Jarvis Brewer T, Savannah State University; Mohamad A. Mustafa, Savannah State University; Alberto G De La Cruz, Savannah State University; Faraz Muhammad Yousuf, 3D Imaging Developer

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

several waysthrough high school Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses, byproviding career counseling, and through the guidance of parents 1. It is important to reach out tohigh school students to inform them about engineering concepts and how they connect to themath and science they are learning in high school. Career talks that guide high school studentsthrough the career path of an engineer, including the skills, education, and motivations involvedare another facet of the outreach process. In addition, it is vital to provide a Project BasedLearning in Electrical Engineering Technology/Electrical Engineering that builds on high schoolmath and science and provides students with a strong view of the nature of engineering2

Conference Session

Instrumentation Technical Session

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lash B. Mapa, Purdue University Calumet (College of Technology)

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

Lexan material supported on a HDPE frame as shown infigure 1. This holds the particulate solid and the volume of the container is 934ml (934 CC). Figure 1. Container to hold particulate solidsAn Alien RFID reader is used and model number is ALR-9800 (figure 2a). The reader is basedon an Intel XScale processor, along with digital signal processor (DSP) (Roberti, 2006). TheDSP enables the rapid interleaving of different protocols with minimal switching overhead,resulting in fast performance to interrogate RFID tags [10]. Supported RFID tag protocols areECP Class 1 Gen 2, ISO 18000-6c [10]. Alien reader protocol is autonomous mode which hasupgradeable architecture for future EPC reader protocols. An RFID tag reader uses

Conference Session

Instrumentation Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lash B. Mapa, Purdue University - Calumet; Suraiya Jannat Khan, Purdue University - Calumet

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

require batteries or maintenance [3]. They are small and haveindefinite lifetime.This research uses passive tags for RFID tagging. For this research we have used a passive tagmanufactured by Alien Technology®. This Gen 2 has been used throughout the whole experiment.(Take a picture of the RFID TAG)Again, the RFID reader used to perform the experiment is also manufactured by AlienTechnology®. Reader configuration is EPC Class 1. Model: ALR-9800. The objective of the EPCis to provide unique identification of physical objects. This is used to address and accessinformation about individual objects from the computer network, similar to the internet protocol(IP) address allows the computers to identify, organize and communicate with one another [2].The

Conference Session

Instrumentation Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Masoud Fathizadeh P.E., Purdue University Calumet (College of Technology); Kevin E Horecky

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

ofturning conditions. The proposed system has been installed on a sport car and its performance has beenmonitored and the relevant data has been collected. The adjustment of the spoiler led to improvedperformance of the car.This paper describes: 1. The theory of airflow and its lift effect on moving cars 2. Measurement mechanism, electronic sensors, data manipulation, data management, and spoiler adjustment 3. Track testing and analysis of results 4. Senior design project as an experiential learning toolINTRODUCTIONAs a car travels forward, it is attacked by moving air particles. These air particles go over, under andaround the sides of a car. The air particles on top of a car experience lower pressure and consequentlywith less air density while

Conference Session

Instrumentation Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lash Mapa, Purdue University Calumet (College of Technology); Kishan Saha, Purdue University Calumet

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

apriority in health care. Assuring this safety is a task that is more and more complicated andwhich entails potential risks with no one method being capable of guaranteeing a total absence oferrors. The Institute of Medicine estimates that “tens of thousands of deaths and injuries arecaused by medical mistakes every year [1]. The FDA estimates that number to be nearly 500,000[1]. Nowadays, one of the main worries in maintaining a high level of safety in health careenvironments is to closely follow the patient throughout their stay in a healthcare facility, i.e.,from their arrival until they are discharged, registering both waiting and care times in each of theareas subject to control. However, Mentioned patient waiting time is a detriment to the

Conference Session

Instrumentation Division Technical Session 4

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Aidan F. Browne, University of North Carolina, Charlotte; David George Vutetakis Jr, University of North Carolina, Charlotte

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

for a greater diversity oftraining setups to be utilized in a smaller area.IntroductionIn order to effectively teach instrumentation, mechatronic and robotic courses in an Engineeringor Engineering Technology curriculum, a variety of electromechanical laboratory setups aredesirable. [1] Exposing students to an assortment of technologies is also desirable, to give themas broad an experience as is reasonable. Thus, setups containing different sensors, effectors andactuators and indicators are needed. Quite often, the cost of such laboratory setups (or trainers) ishigh, thereby challenging the desire to have numerous full setups.To broaden the students’ programming capabilities, many programs teach such courses acrossboth microcontroller and

Conference Session

Instrumentation Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Asad Yousuf, Savannah State University; Mohamad A. Mustafa, Savannah State University; Keenya G. Mosley, Savannah State University; Mir M. Hayder, Savannah State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

compared to9.8%).1 Furthermore, employers claim that there shortages of qualified workers in STEM areas.2National Science Board identifies that the students will be required to develop their STEMcapabilities at higher level as compared to the levels in the past, even for low skilled jobs.3 Tomeet the demand for the STEM work force, there is a dire need to expand the STEM pipeline byincreasing the number of STEM graduates. To stay competitive in the global market in STEMareas, research shows that we need to make sure that US students have needed STEM skillsevery step of the way from K to 8, high school to college which is supported by high qualitySTEM education.4 Interventions needed to fill in the gaps are meant to boost K-12 STEM teacherquality

Conference Session

Instrumentation Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Ventzislav Karaivanov, Colorado School of Mines; Jeffrey A. Holley P.E., Colorado School of Mines

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

measurement requires connecting to channel 0 and channel 8 represented onCB-68 as terminals 68 and 34, or wiring for referenced single ended voltage measurementrequires connecting to channel 1 and a ground terminal represented as terminal pins 33 and 67.Students were often confused by the unclear interface and occasionally made wiring errors thatwere difficult to troubleshoot. Figure 1: National Instruments - NI CB-68 after years of student use. Page 26.55.2In addition, laboratory experiments involving strain measurement incorporated a signalconditioning card (NI SC-2043-SG). These cards were first released on the market in 1996 andwere

Conference Session

Instrumentation Division Technical Session 3

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Herbert L. Hess, University of Idaho, Moscow

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

place inside an Altoids® tin or similarcontainer. Hence, its name is Minty for the container and Boost for its function. The MintyBoost® provides responsive, mobile power on demand to any USB appliance1 Figure 1. Minty Boost® shown charging a cell phoneWith the advent of ubiquitious cell phones and tablets among students of all disciplines, a projectlike the Minty Boost® quickly generates excitement among the students. Power management hasbecome a basic skill of everyone in their generation, not just the electrical engineers. To buildsuch a useful tool while reinforcing their classroom instruction is a “win-win”. The MintyBoost® clearly does generate this excitement: Sophomores ask about it a year in advance. Itintegrates

Conference Session

Instrumentation Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Lash Mapa, Purdue University Calumet (College of Technology)

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

customer, marketing decisions, inalignment with general corporate goals and strategy. Commonly considered as a complex andknowledge demanding process, management of supply chain can interest significantly with theimplementation of RFID technology [1].RFID technology has grown to become a innovative element in supply chain management. RFIDis not just a substitution for barcodes. RFID ensures that accuracy in inventory control and realtime product information available to make decisions. It makes the supply chain significantlymore accurate and improves the reliability and efficiency of the entire chain. As real-timeinformation is made obtainable, planning and administration processes can be extensivelyimproved as well [1]. Applying RFID technology

Conference Session

Instrumentation Division Technical Session 2

Collection

2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Grace Altimus, Syracuse University; Dacheng Ren, Syracuse University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

P. Sloan Foundation, and industrial sponsors. Dr. Ren has broad research interests in biotechnology and biofilm control. c American Society for Engineering Education, 2016 Promoting engineering education using a state-of-the-art research facility Grace A. Altimus1 and Dacheng Ren1,2,3,4 1 Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, 2 Syracuse Biomaterials Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY 13244, 3 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University

Conference Session

Instrumentation Division Technical Session 4

Collection

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David M. Beams P.E., University of Texas, Tyler; Hector A. Ochoa, University of Texas, Tyler

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Instrumentation

sufficiently modest—we may have asolution for you! If this describes your motivations, we invite you to read on.Various authors have confronted the problem of semiconductor curve tracing in theundergraduate electronics laboratory and have described their work in ASEE conferences. Wethus turn to the work of those who have gone before, of the giants upon whose shoulders wepropose to stand.A curve-tracing system for pn diodes, NPN and PNP BJTs, and n-channel MOSFETs relied uponLabVIEW running on a desktop computer and laboratory instruments (power supply andvoltmeter) communicating with the program through a GPIB (General-Purpose Instrument Bus)connection.1 While the system was successfully integrated into the curriculum, it had thedisadvantage of being