1. ELVIS Educational Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite: Phase II Abstract Problem Statement The goal of this project is to convert the EE 201 labs into an ELVIS compatible format, explore the use of ELVIS in other ECprE classes, develop advanced exercises utilizing the advantages of ELVIS, and produce supplemental instructional and demonstration materials for the ELVIS system. Operating Environment ELVIS will be primarily used in ECprE lab classes Intended Users Department of ECprE faculty and students Intended Uses Supplement or replace current laboratory equipment and methods Assumptions National Instruments will provide the ELVIS system and software All required data can be captured by ELVIS All the necessary functionality is available in ELVIS Limitations ELVIS capabilities do not match conventional equipment exactly Accuracy of ELVIS measurement equipment Expected End Product and Other Deliverables Converted EE 201 Labs Documentation of method used to convert labs to ELVIS format Any additional components developed (i.e. additional labs, advanced exercises, LabVIEW applications) Introduction Project Requirements Proposed Approach and Considerations Budget and Personal Effort Currently, EE 201 (Introductory Electric Circuits) students use multiple pieces of equipment to perform their labs. The Educational Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite (ELVIS) produced by National Instruments (NI) combines these pieces of equipment into a single system, effectively eliminating the need for the multiple pieces of lab equipment that are currently required in EE 201 labs. The ELVIS senior design team will find out what instrumentation is needed for each lab and replace or supplement the instruments’ functionality with ELVIS instructions. The team will rewrite the EE 201 lab manual, making use of the ELVIS system and explore the use of ELVIS in other Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECprE) classes. Finally, the team will develop a demonstration of the ELVIS system for the ECprE Department, an advanced exercise utilizing ELVIS (i.e. wireless applications), custom LabVIEW applications for individual assignments, and supplemental instructional materials suitable for a web-based course. Design Objectives Simplify and increase ease of data collection in EE 201 labs Utilize advantages of ELVIS to improve and add to current EE 201 labs Functional Requirements Revised labs will be clear and concise from the perspective of a second-year undergraduate ECprE student Provide students with instructions on how to use ELVIS system and LabVIEW software Design Constraints Revised EE 201 labs must cover all material included in original labs Students must be able to complete revised labs in the allotted lab time Measurable Milestones Project Definition and Plan Revised EE 201 Labs Student testing and review of revised labs Supplemental technical projects completed Supplemental documentation created Demonstration developed and delivered Proposed Approach Explore functionality and advantages of ELVIS system Revise EE 201 Labs Create additional materials (advanced exercises, LabVIEW applications) Technologies Considered NI ELVIS and LabVIEW Testing Considerations Project team test and review of revised labs Student test and review of revised labs Adviser review Closing Summary The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University offers classes that provide students the opportunity to apply the concepts taught in the classroom to hands-on lab work. One such class is EE 201 in which students use multiple pieces of equipment to take various measurements and view data. ELVIS, produced by NI, combines multiple pieces of lab equipment into one system, thereby streamlining the process of data acquisition for students. ELVIS can also automatically calculate or display data that students had previously wasted valuable time searching for. This project will convert all of the EE 201 labs to the ELVIS format and use the advantages of ELVIS to add components to the labs. In addition to the EE 201 lab manual, the team will also create any other documentation that is needed to explain or supplement the labs. May04-09 Team Members Gabriel Henkes - CPRE David Niedergeses - EE/ENGL Andraya Parrish - EE Corey Yearous - EE Faculty Advisors Prof. Mani Mina Prof. Diane Rover Client Iowa State University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Acknowledgements The team acknowledges our advisors for their help, ideas, and feedback, and National Instruments for providing the ELVIS system and software. Table 1 shows the estimated cost of the project. Table 2 shows the estimated hours spent by each team member Cable E Series Data Acquisition Board Workstation and Protoboard LabVIEW Figure 1 shows the components of the ELVIS system Figure 1 - Elvis Components