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 simulation and testing of actual 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 liquid 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.