An integrated environment for modeling, simulation, digital signal processing, and control

An integrated laboratory for system modeling, simulation, real-time digital signal processing, and control is being developed at Bucknell University for undergraduate electrical engineering education. The laboratory bridges the gap between software simulatian and testing of a c t d systems through a common visual programming interface. Students can explore the iterative process of developing a model and then refining the model until computer simulation results agree with experimental measurements. A liqnid level control system is presented to illustrate the features of the laboratory environment. The key components of the laboratory are networked digital signal processing (DSP) hardware units and a simulation software package. The simulation software runs on workstations, and all of the laboratory equipment (including the DSP hardware) is connected to the Internet.