2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

All Engineering and Technology degree programs related to computer hardware and software such as Electrical Engineering Technology, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science include Digital Logic as a fundamental course. This course introduces students to logic gates and Boolean algebra. However, students are not introduced to how the concepts of Digital Logic relate to real world problems. Moreover, some programs include Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) based courses which involve PLC programming in Ladder Logic. PLC programming laboratory problems involve programming for real world automation problems and testing the code on either PLC or simulator. Students in the PLC courses are briefly introduced to Digital Logic irrespective of their major before teaching them PLC programming. However, they are not trained to first solve and analyze their proposed solutions to automation problems using Digital Logic concepts of logic gates and Boolean algebra before converting the logical solution to the PLC program in Ladder Logic.
In this paper author presents laboratory experiments which fill this gap by connecting Digital Logic to real world automation problems. The presented laboratory experiments first require the student to solve the given automation problem using logic gates circuit and Boolean equation. Students work on such logical solutions in groups under the guidance of instructor and teaching assistant. Once students successfully solve the automation problems through digital logic, they are taught how logic gate circuit or Boolean equations can be translated into PLC program in Ladder Logic. Students then develop Ladder Logic code, download it to the PLC provided and test the working of the code. Author has found that students not only successfully learn PLC program using this approach, but they also find the laboratory experiments interesting as indicated by their informal feedback in class and the end of semester anonymous course evaluations.