Experimental Training on Advanced Technologies B. ANDO’, A. ASCIA, S. BAGLIO, N. PITRONE Engineering Faculty, D.I.E.E.S. University of Catania V. le A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania ITALY npitrone@diees.unict.it Abstract: In the last years the authors have devoted great attention to the different aspects of the educational activity, with particular emphasis to theoretical and experimental training of the undergraduate students on measurement methods, real instruments (features and working principle), virtual instruments and related environment, useful tools (advanced software and hardware), distance learning. Therefore a number of tools have been realized in order to gradually propose to the students meaningful aspects of advanced technologies. In the paper an overview of selected tools is presented, in particular the tool presented in the last section takes into account the peculiarities of the unknown signal and also the effect of the noise signal superimposed to the signal to be measured. Key-Words: - Undergraduates, experimental training, digital frequency meter, voltage-time converters, digit error, noise effect, virtual instruments, learning LabVIEW, advanced technologies, e-learning. 1 Introduction An accurate training on measurement procedures and measurement system design can be obtained by carrying out real experiments with real electronic components and circuits [1, 2]. Moreover, advanced communication technologies can greatly contribute to modify the educational approach: networking can be a key point for education on measurement. In particular, undergraduate students can test their theoretical knowledge, and can perform an useful self-training: indeed, they can use the know-how available on the Internet. Moreover, through the connection to a measuring system working in the lab the remote user can have the sensation of “distant participation” [3]. In addition to the possibility of using modern communication technology, this task will improve the availability of the laboratory, in order to overcome the drawback due to the large number of students and the short time available for a correct experimental training in few years courses. This activity cannot replace a hands-on contact to the real measurement equipment, however such training can be a proper solution to the problem of preparing students to make reliable measurements close to real life [4]. The rapid improvement of the technology greatly improves the features of the instruments which, in turn, requires changing the way of teaching electronic measurements, updating the programs and performing the practical training of the undergraduate students. Great attention has been devoted in the last years by the authors [3-11] to the theoretical and experimental training of the undergraduates on: • measurement methods, • real instruments (features and working principle), • virtual instruments and related environment, • useful tools (advanced software and hardware), • distance learning. In the research on technical education the authors have analysed the following issues: • advanced hardware and related software; • virtual instruments (LabVIEW™ environment); • basic subjects of the electric and electronic measurement area. As regards advanced hardware, a deep study has been performed on the possibility of remotely controlling connected instruments and some didactic tools have been realised: it should be emphasized that they have been satisfactorily adopted by the students [6]. The revision of this tools has been successively carried out, in order to enhance the reliability of the hardware in the laboratory. In particular, a FieldPoint MT controller has been adopted. In a recently implemented tool for three-phase system measurements, a microcontroller has been adopted (the ST52F513) [6]; it belongs to the ST- FIVE family of 8-bit Intelligent Controller Units (ICU), by ST-Microelectronics. The needed software for programming this micro-controller is the Visual Five by the ST-Microelectronics environment (this stage is a very significant didactic improvement for electrical engineering students). In a tool realised on purpose for these measurements, WSEAS TRANSACTIONS on ADVANCES IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION Nicola Pitrone ISSN: 1790-1979 519 Issue 8, Volume 5, August 2008