Implementing A Low Cost Data Acquisition System for Engineering Education Programs in Universities

Abstract

Abstract For many educational engineering projects running in Universities, a data acquisition system is a key component. Buying a system from the market is a viable option but many times the cost of it is prohibitive for the low budgets of University projects. This paper investigates the idea of implementing an own data acquisition system with use in small educational projects. Together with the advantage of cost reduction, an own implementation is an engineering exercise in itself, providing learning opportunities for the student. The paper presents first the results of a market scan for development platforms which can be used and then an example implementation of a simple data acquisition system using a low cost development platform. The performance of the implemented system is measured and presented. The main purpose of this paper is to encourage students and young researchers to implement their own tools, using this learning experiences along the way of meeting the project targets.