A versatile internet-accessible electronics workbench with DC domain experimentation and troubleshooting capabilities

Abstract

iLabs are online laboratories that give students access to various experimental setups enabling them to conduct experiments based on real equipment via the Internet, remotely from any part of the world. The MIT iLab Project is dedicated to the proposition that iLabs can enrich science and engineering education by greatly expanding the range of experiments that students are exposed to. Using iLabs students complement their theoretical calculations and results with real data, providing them with a better understanding of a wide range of engineering concepts. Most recently, the iLab Project has focussed on building remote laboratories around the National Instruments Educational Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite (ELVIS), a cost-effective, all-in-one electronics workstation. This thesis documents my efforts in extending the ELVIS iLab framework by enabling the investigation of the Direct Current domain through the addition of a new instrument, the Digital Multimeter. Using an augmented version of switching, this new instrument provides students with real-time, dynamic circuit testing and troubleshooting capabilities, unprecedented in an iLab. This significantly enhances an iLab's value as a versatile educational tool and represents a considerable step forward in bridging the gap between conventional and remote laboratories.