labAlive-a Java toolbox for the simulation of systems

The labAlive toolbox allows the development of interactive, animated simulations and demonstrations of communication systems. Students can explore complex learning contents, and since the toolbox is implemented in Java, the training material can seamlessly be integrated into the World Wide Web. To make the development of customized wirings as easy as possible, a framework is provided for the simulation task, user interaction and display. An inheritance hierarchy with base classes implements these tasks, and a set of ready to use objects is provided, e.g. wires, standard systems like sine-wave generator and oscillographs. Developing a new wiring mainly consists of creating the required systems and wires, connecting up and defining the graphical layout. Special focus has been put on the extendability of the toolbox. New systems and also their graphical representation can easily be implemented.