Incorporating Labview To Enhance The Learning Experience In The Electromechanical Analysis Laboratory
- Conference
- Location
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Publication Date
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June 22, 2008
- Start Date
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June 22, 2008
- End Date
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June 25, 2008
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Engineering Technology
- Page Count
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12
- Page Numbers
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13.734.1 - 13.734.12
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--3574
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/3574
- Download Count
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467
Paper Authors
Rocio Alba-Flores Alfred State College
Rocio Alba-Flores received her M.S. and Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Tulane University. She is an Assistant Professor in the Electrical Engineering Technology Department at the State University of New York, Alfred. Her main areas of interest include control systems, robotics, digital systems, microprocessors, and signal and image processing.
David Hunt State University of New York, Alfred
David J. Hunt (M’97) was born and raised in rural western New York. He attended Alfred State College from 1989-93, receiving his B.S. in electrical engineering technology in 1993. He did his graduate work at Alfred University from 1996-98, receiving his M.S. in electrical engineering in 1998. His graduate thesis was “RF Plasma Deposition of Magnesium-Aluminum Oxide.” Prof. Hunt has worked at Alfred State College in the Electrical Engineering Technology Department since 1998.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Incorporating LabVIEW to enhance the learning experience in the Electromechanical Analysis Laboratory Abstract
This paper describes our experiences in incorporating data acquisition and virtual instruments in the Electromechanical Analysis Laboratory to promote hands-on and real-world experiences to students enrolled in the mechanical and the electromechanical engineering technology programs at the State University of New York, Alfred. Because the students taking this course come from two different backgrounds, mechanical engineering technology and electrical engineering technology, the incorporation of virtual instruments has helped to balance the difference in the backgrounds. The paper describes in detail how the experiments have been organized to ensure that students from both backgrounds acquire the knowledge and skills in the mechanical and the electrical components of the course.
Introduction
The present work describes our experiences in incorporating LabVIEW® in laboratory experiments to help enhance the learning experience for the Electromechanical Analysis (EMA) course in the Engineering Technology Department. The EMA course is a sophomore level course, required for students enrolled in both the Mechanical Engineering Technology and the Electromechanical Engineering Technology programs at the State University of New York, Alfred. The EMA course presents an integrating experience of mechanisms and instrumentation. This course emphasizes applications of material learned in courses involving statics, dynamics and strength of materials and introduces students to vibrations. The integration of these subjects is enhanced through laboratory experiments where students study different mechanisms with the aid of transducers and electronic instrumentation. The material covered in the lectures include the study of levers, links, slide mechanisms, cams, scotch yoke and the principles of force, torque, velocity, acceleration, inertia and friction. The laboratory covers techniques of instrumentation for research and development and automation including set-up and calibration of transducers, readouts of electrical signals and data acquisition.
Since the Mechanical Engineering Technology program is offered by the Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET) Department, and the Electromechanical Engineering Technology program is offered by the Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) Department, students taking the EMA course come from two very different backgrounds. Because of this, students from the MET department have little or no knowledge and skills in measurement of electrical signals, however, they have a more solid background in statics, dynamics and strength of materials. On the other hand, students from the EET department lack knowledge and skills in statics, dynamics and strength of materials, but are skillful in the measurement and principles of electrical signals.
To balance this difference, the lectures and laboratory material have been carefully planned. To enhance the learning process, the EMA course is a team taught course where the lecture is taught by a MET faculty member, and the laboratory is taught by an EET faculty member. The laboratory experience has been organized in such a way that students from both backgrounds will
Alba-Flores, R., & Hunt, D. (2008, June), Incorporating Labview To Enhance The Learning Experience In The Electromechanical Analysis Laboratory Paper presented at 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--3574
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