Porter, J., & Brannaka, B. (2005, June), Using Signal Express To Automate Analog Electronics Experiments  Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon. 10.18260/1-2--15335

\bibitem{asee_peer_15335}
  Porter, J., \& Brannaka, B. (2005, June), \emph{Using Signal Express To Automate Analog Electronics Experiments}
  Paper presented at 2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon.
  10.18260/1-2--15335

Jay Porter and Benjamin Brannaka.  "Using Signal Express To Automate Analog Electronics Experiments".  2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon, 2005, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2005.  https://peer.asee.org/15335 Internet.  26 Apr, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_15335}
  Jay Porter and Benjamin Brannaka.
  "Using Signal Express To Automate Analog Electronics Experiments".
  \emph{2005 Annual Conference, Portland, Oregon, 2005, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2005.
  https://peer.asee.org/15335 Internet.  26 Apr, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_15335
author = "Jay Porter and Benjamin Brannaka"
title = "Using Signal Express To Automate Analog Electronics Experiments"
booktitle = "2005 Annual Conference"
year = "2005"
month = "June"
address = "Portland, Oregon"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/15335}
number = {10.18260/1-2--15335}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - It is well known that many undergraduate students, especially in engineering technology
programs, learn best through hands-on experience. Thus, when teaching analog electronics, it is
critical to provide the students with a meaningful laboratory experience. While this sounds
straightforward, it is often difficult to do in practice. Many analog electronics experiments can
be very time consuming. For example, plotting the frequency response of an active filter or
transistor amplifier requires that the students make multiple amplitude and phase measurements
of the input and output signals. This process can be tedious and the result is that the students
often only have time to characterize a device once. This means they do not have time to perform
“what-if” scenarios where they change out a component and see the effect. Thus, they are losing
a valuable education experience. In addition, if their data is wrong then they have no opportunity
to repeat the experiment, and as such have learned very little.
To address the problem, we have previously presented automated digital and analog
measurement systems as a solution.1,2 For example, using a LabVIEW program and GPIB
(General Purpose Instrumentation Bus) instruments, one can build an automated frequency
response analyzer that will rapidly characterize the frequency response of a circuit.
Unfortunately, because the coding of this type of measurement requires a substantial amount of
time, the program and the measurement process is typically provided for the student. So, while
this method allows the students to characterize systems over and over, it removes them from the
design of the test and measurement process, again costing the student a valuable learning
opportunity.
Recently, National Instruments released a new software product called Signal Express.
The package is a dedicated test and measurement environment where the individual can use
high-level signal sourcing and measurement blocks to build an automated measurement system
that will collect and present data in a graphical form. Like LabVIEW, the environment is
graphical, allowing users to place individual measurement blocks in a particular sequence.
Unlike LabVIEW, the environment has a very short learning curve so that students can rapidly program their own tests. Thus, it is easy to use while still leaving the need to design the required
test in the hands of the student.
In the Summer of 2004, the EET Program at Texas A&M evaluated Signal Express and
wrote two electronics labs based on it. It is currently being deployed in an electronics lab and
will be used to see how students respond to this new measurement tool. In this paper, we will
discuss the use of Signal Express and present an example for use in an analog electronics
laboratory.
AU  - Jay Porter
AU  - Benjamin Brannaka
CY  - Portland, Oregon
DA  - 2005/06/12
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Using Signal Express To Automate Analog Electronics Experiments
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/15335
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--15335
ER  -