Preliminary specifications and operations of a networking model for a virtual radio frequency laboratory

Abstract

Virtual laboratory experiments for the electronics course in the program of Electrical Engineering students at University of Mexico (UNAM) has been developed employing data acquisition (DAQ) systems, LabVIEW™ Instrumentation software. These applications will be very attractive once they become connected to Internet so that it will be feasible to exchange information between students and teachers with ongoing experiments in real time. Up to now the Engineering laboratories in public Universities in Mexico were lacking good equipment due to the increasing cost of laoratory instruments. This problem has a cost-effective alternative solution with the integration of a virtual LabVIEW laboratories containing instruments which provide an economic solution compared to the cost of traditional instruments. The mentioned applications are currently used at UNAM to perform laboratory experiments in the field of Electronics and Radio frequency at the School of Engineering, FI. The learning process based on computer software is being adopted in an important way to improve the teaching - learning process. In the forthcoming years, the exposed model and the advances in Internet might be merged to support the development of educative digital systems to encourage long distance learning, as well as the operation of remote laboratories. The laboratory explained here is under construction at this moment, therefore the operation results are preliminary as well as the specifications of the system being implemented at UNAM.