A Flexible Instructional Electronics Laboratory with Local and Remote Lab Workbenches in a Grid

The Signal Processing Department (ASB) at Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) has created two online lab workbenches; one for electrical experiments and one for mechanical vibration experiments, mimicking and supplementing workbenches in traditional laboratories. For several years now, the workbenches have been used concurrently with on-site ones in regular, supervised lab sessions. The students are encouraged to use them on a 24/7 basis for example, in preparation for supervised sessions. The electronic workbench can be used simultaneously by many students. The aim of a project known as VISIR (Virtual Systems in Reality) founded by ASB at the end of 2006, is to disseminate the online lab workbenches using open source technologies. The goal is to create a template for a grid laboratory where the nodes are workbenches for electrical experiments, located at different universities. This paper focuses on standards, pedagogical aspects, and measurement procedure requirements.

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