Turning a basic electronics lab into a low-cost communication systems lab

Abstract

A general electronics lab bench including a digital oscilloscope, a computer and a signal generator is transformed into a complete analog communication systems bench. It can be done by employing the software developed by the author and some additional inexpensive off-the-shelf electronics. The full exploitation of the potentials of the existing instruments and their connectivity made additional investment unnecessary. Results of more than a decade using the lab demonstrate the positive impact on student learning.