A paperless circuits laboratory: vision and reality

Modern circuits and electronics laboratories are, more and more, adding a PC class computer to the normal arsenal of oscilloscope, digital multimeter and function generator. With the availability of easy networking, student versions of programs such as MathCad, Matlab, Maple, Electronics Workbench, LabView, PSpice, etc., and the WWW, the possibility of a paperless lab presents itself. We have developed such a lab centered around Netscape, MathCad, Electronics Workbench, and LabView. We present the basic equipment, the specifications, our design decisions in terms of software, the experience in adapting a well functioning paper based lab, and the student response. In addition, after one semester of experience we present some tricks of the trade, pitfalls, and possibilities for improvement.