ELEC 105 Lab Assignments

ELEC 105 - Lab Assignments

Week 1 - Basic Concepts and Measurements

Check the units on Basic Concepts and Basic Measurements.
Be sure that you have read and understood the introductory lessons on measurements and measuring voltage before you come to lab.
Read the lessons on how to use the Fluke Hydra Data Acquisition Unit (DAU) for voltage and temperature measurements.
Do these lab exercises:

In lieu of a lab report, you may have your instructor or lab assistant check you off. S/he will ask you to explain the results of the four exercises above.

Week 2 - Sensor Dynamics Data Collection

Check the unit on Sensors.
Be sure that you have read and understood the introductory lessons on measurements and measuring voltage before you come to lab.
Be sure that you have read and understood the material on time constants.
Do this lab exercise:

Sensor Dynamics (This page has links to the lab exercises below.)

You will need these files to take measurements and store the data in a file:

NTempsHydra.vi - to measure temperature from the Hydra
NVoltsHydra.vi - to measure voltage from the Hydra.

Analyze your data and do that for homework to hand in Monday. Click here for the detailed assignment.

Week 3 - Mechanical Time Constants & Diode Circuits/Op Amps - The AC Tachometer

Measuring the time constant of a motor.

Before you do the experiment, to help you understand the scope display you might see, go through this problem with a simulator.
The Starry Night experiment.
Rectifying an AC Tachometer Signal

You will need to build a diode detector for this laboratory.

Week 4 - Diode Rectifier

The Isolation Amplifier

Rectifying the AC Tachometer output signal. Held over from Week 3 because there are problems in the output signal which can be cured by adding an isolation amplifier.
Adding an Isolation Amplifier
Build an isolation amplifier and use that (at the output of the diode circuit that gives a DC voltage from the AC tachometer). (Done only if time permits)

Week 5 - Operational Amplifier, Isolation Amplifiers - Eliminating Loading

Build an isolation amplifier and use that (at the output of the diode circuit that gives a DC voltage from the AC tachometer). Add isolation amplifiers to eliminate loading of the tachometer.
Here is a link to some questions on the filter labs.
An Operational Amplifier Inverting Amplifier and another Operational Amplifier (Non-Inverting).

Week 6 - Filters & Exploring Fourier Concepts - 1 - (Fourier Series)

Filter Appreciation Day. This exercise will let you experience a filter, and will introduce you to some of the reasons you need to know about op-amps. (This lab needs the isolation amplifier circuit from the previous week.)
Here is a link to some questions on the filter labs.
Fourier Components in a Signal (Square Wave) - Get Data on a square wave for later analysis.

Week 7 - Exploring Fourier Concepts - 2 - (FFT)

Measuring Fan Speed. You measure fan speed by interrupting a light signal, and we hope that you see the light.
Getting the resonant frequency of a bar. (That's a steel bar, not the other kind.)

Week 8 - LabVIEW Introduction

Week 9 - Moving Toward a Useful LabVIEW Thermometer - GPIB - 1

The LabVIEW Thermometer - Part 1

Week 10 - Modifying the LabVIEW Thermometer - Under Construction

You will save data to a file that can be loaded into a spreadsheet, and you will build a LabVIEW file that measures and displays temperature.

Writing Data to Files in LabVIEW. This exercise will get you started writing data to a file. Do the exercise described in the link, then modify your LabVIEW Thermometer to include saving your data to a file. Click here for the specifications for your vi.
Word length (# bits) in an instrument. Do only the portion for the Hydra (Digital Voltmeter).

Week 11 - Data Across the Network - 1

Remote Viewing in LabVIEW. In this problem, when it says to "go to a different computer", you may have to go somewhere else on campus. There are several computer labs in Dana that you can get to. You want to be able to view your application running across the network. This way is the simplest way to get data across the network as long as you don't want to transmit any data the other direction.

Network data transmission - An introduction to using TCP/IP for information transmission. This link takes you to a general page for both the server and the client. You should work on the server today if time permits. Click here for a slightly more detailed description, including making a sub-vi.
Click here for some questions on this experiment.

Weeks 12&13 - Data Across the Network - 2

Network data transmission - This is the server-client lab. Today you should work on the client vi in LabVIEW.
Click here for some questions on this experiment - the same questions as before.