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Session 3532

Real-time Data Acquisition in a Signals and Systems Course

Thad B. Welch†, Ed Zivi‡, Christopher Field†, and Josette Rice† † Electrical Engineering Department and ‡Systems Engineering Department U.S. Naval Academy, MD

Abstract A sophomore or junior level course entitled Signals and Systems or Linear Systems Theory is contained within almost every electrical engineering program in the country. The United States Naval Academy offers a junior level Signal and Systems course that includes a significant amount of hands-on lab time. This course is taught in a 2-2-3 format. The availability of both PCs and DAQ software that allow for seamless introduction of real-world data into the MATLAB workspace has facilitated this process. This paper discusses some of the lab exercises that are used in this course. These lab experiments have allowed our students to see immediate applicability for the theory and skills that they are learning in class.

1. Introduction A sophomore or junior level course entitled Signals and Systems or Linear Systems Theory is contained within almost every undergraduate electrical engineering (EE) program in the country. The majority of these courses are taught for three hours of academic credit. While variations routinely occur, most programs provide three hours of lecture per week. Homework, which regularly includes computer-based projects, is also assigned. In class demonstrations help to reinforce course topics, but few programs incorporate traditional lab time into their courses.

The United States Naval Academy (USNA) offers a junior level Signal and Systems course that includes a significant amount of hands-on lab time. This course is taught in a 2-2-3 format (two hours/week of lecture, two hours/week of lab, for three hours of academic credit. Due to the availability of both personal computers (PCs) and data acquisition (DAQ) software that allow for the seamless introduction of real-world data into the MATLAB workspace, it is now both possible and cost effective to incorporate hands-on labs into any course of this type.

2. Combining MATLAB with a Signals and Systems curriculum A Signals and Systems course has traditionally consisted of a study of the mathematical tools and relationships necessary to relate the time and the transform domains. Stored real-world signals, computer-generated signals, and mathematical models of real signals and systems are available for computer-based homework and exercises. The use of PCs in the EE curriculum has clearly increased student interest in the Signals and Systems course material, in part because PCs have helped to move us beyond pure theory and into the real world. For example, homework or PC- based exercises can now use web delivered EKG data, music corrupted by noise, or sonar signals containing multipath returns.

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Rice, J. L., & Zivi, E. L., & Field, C. T., & Welch, T. (2000, June), Real Time Data Acquisition In A Signals And Systems Course Paper presented at 2000 Annual Conference, St. Louis, Missouri. 10.18260/1-2--8655