Virtual Instrument Systems in Reality (VISIR) for Remote Wiring and Measurement of Electronic Circuits on Breadboard

This paper reports on a state-of-the-art remote laboratory project called Virtual Instrument Systems in Reality (VISIR). VISIR allows wiring and measuring of electronic circuits remotely on a virtual workbench that replicates physical circuit breadboards. The wiring mechanism is developed by means of a relay switching matrix connected to a PCI eXtensions for Instrumentation (PXI) instrumentation platform. The entire equipment is controlled by LabVIEW server software, in addition to a measurement server software that protects the equipment from hazard connections by verifying input circuit designs, sent by students, before being executed. This paper addresses other approaches such as remote labs based on Data Acquisition Cards (DAQs), NetLab, and RemotElectLab, comparing them with VISIR in order to emphasize its singularity. Topics discussed are as follows: the technical description, software, operation cycle, features, and provided services. In addition, the feedback received by students at several universities and the encountered drawbacks along with the proposed solutions are highlighted. The paper finally addresses the ongoing and future challenges within the VISIR community including its integration with Learning Management Systems (LMSs) and iLab Shared Architecture (ISA), its new hardware version release that is based on LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation (LXI), and its new open platform version that supports federated access.

[1]  Ingvar Gustavsson,et al.  Telemanipulator for Remote Wiring of Electrical Circuits , 2008 .

[2]  Daniel Moraes,et al.  Design and Implementation Issues for Modern Remote Laboratories , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.

[3]  Ingvar Gustavsson,et al.  An Overview of the VISIR Open Source Software Distribution 2007 , 2007 .

[4]  Manuel Castro,et al.  Remote laboratories for electrical & electronic subjects in new engineering grades , 2011, 2011 Promotion and Innovation with New Technologies in Engineering Education (FINTDI 2011).

[5]  Danilo Garbi Zutin.  A VISIR Lab Server for the iLab Shared Architecture , 2011 .

[6]  Dikai Liu,et al.  Evolving Remote Laboratory Architectures to Leverage Emerging Internet Technologies , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.

[7]  Ingvar Gustavsson,et al.  Using remote experimentation in a large undergraduate course: Initial findings , 2011, 2011 Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE).

[8]  Javier García Zubía,et al.  Using remote labs in education: two little ducks in remote experimentation , 2011 .

[9]  Diego López-de-Ipiña,et al.  Addressing Software Impact in the Design of Remote Laboratories , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics.

[10]  Manuel Castro,et al.  VISIR deployment in undergraduate engineering practices , 2011, 2011 First Global Online Laboratory Consortium Remote Laboratories Workshop.

[11]  Manuel Castro,et al.  Remote labs as learning services in the educational arena , 2011, 2011 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON).

[12]  Gustavo Ribeiro Alves,et al.  Experimenting through the Web a Linear Variable Differential Transformer , 2006, Int. J. Online Eng..

[13]  Ingvar Gustavsson,et al.  Using VISIR in a large undergraduate course: Preliminary assessment results , 2011, 2011 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON).

[14]  Ingvar Gustavsson,et al.  On Objectives of Instructional Laboratories, Individual Assessment, and Use of Collaborative Remote Laboratories , 2009, IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.

[15]  Michael E. Auer,et al.  Work in progress — Integrating educational online lab platforms around the iLab Shared Architecture , 2011, 2011 Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE).

[16]  Manuel Alonso Castro Gil,et al.  Servicios para plataformas educativas: laboratorios y aplicaciones , 1970 .

[17]  Elio Sancristobal Ruiz,et al.  Towards a Better Deployment of Remote Laboratories in Undergraduate Engineering Education , 2011 .

[18]  Manuel Castro,et al.  On the design of remote laboratories , 2012, Proceedings of the 2012 IEEE Global Engineering Education Conference (EDUCON).

[19]  Gustavo Ribeiro Alves,et al.  An Integrated Reusable Remote Laboratory to Complement Electronics Teaching , 2010, IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.

[20]  Dietmar F. Rösner,et al.  E-Assessment as a Service , 2011, IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies.

[21]  J.L. Hardison,et al.  Deploying interactive remote labs using the iLab Shared Architecture , 2008, 2008 38th Annual Frontiers in Education Conference.

[22]  Stevan Stankovski,et al.  Remote control of laboratory equipment for basic electronics courses: A LabVIEW‐based implementation , 2013, Comput. Appl. Eng. Educ..

[23]  Manuel Castro,et al.  Integration view of Web Labs and Learning Management Systems , 2010, IEEE EDUCON 2010 Conference.

[24]  Olaf Hallan Graven,et al.  Low Cost Implementation of Remote Lab with Large Number of Configurations for a BJT Amplifier , 2011, Int. J. Online Eng..

[25]  Manuel Castro,et al.  VISIR: Experiences and Challenges , 2012, Int. J. Online Eng..

[26]  Kirky K. DeLong,et al.  The iLab Shared Architecture: A Web Services Infrastructure to Build Communities of Internet Accessible Laboratories , 2008, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[27]  Ashish Taneja,et al.  TeleLab-A Remote Monitoring and Control System , 2007, Int. J. Online Eng..