Remote access cost effective measurement stand for teaching basic electronic circuits

Abstract

The paper presents outcomes of project that goal has been development of remote access laboratory stands for experimental exercises in the course „Basics of electronics“. The experimental laboratory stands are controlled remotely from client´s computers across the Internet. User can change configuration of circuit components, component values and also select measuring nodes. The control and data presentation is realized using virtual instruments implemented in dynamic web pages broadcasted by laboratory web server. Student can access the laboratory stand by any web browser with installed plug-in “Run Time Engine” by National Instruments. Before performing experimental measurement students have to be familiar with circuit theory a perform simulation of measured circuit. Finally they have to compare results from simulation and from the real measurement. The virtual measuring workplace was created also with goal to compare in praxis the pros and cons of in-place and remote measurements for university education activities in the field of electronic circuits. The whole project has been created in LabVIEW with attempt to minimize realization costs. That's why the DAQ cards have been used instead of traditional stand-alone instrumentations.