2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Engineering Physics program at the University of Central Arkansas requires all students to complete basic electronics course during the fourth semester. This overall program is focused on robotics and automation. To introduce students to the idea of automating systems, we are developing laboratory activities that use computer control for data acquisition and analysis in the sophomore level basic electronics class. Activities have been designed to introduce computer control of both function generators and oscilloscopes during lab. The ability to build code into reports is reinforced through the use of Jupyter Notebooks for these activities. Activities build in complexity through the semester. The initial activity automates the process of producing a Bode plot for frequency response of a simple R-2R resistor ladder. The majority of the code for this activity is provided in order to demonstrate the communications between the computer and the instruments. Students must modify the specifics in order to complete the activity. As the semester continues, the amount of code provided for an activity decreases. These activities allow students to begin the process of integrating coding and hardware into a single system to accomplish a task. This paper will discuss the learning goals for each activity and the student results to date.