The
Electronics Laboratory of the Future
(ELF)
Introduction
The Center for Intelligent Systems at Vanderbilt University has developed an exciting new computer
simulation of an undergraduate electronics laboratory. The Electronics Laboratory of the Future
(ELF) simulation is intended as a pre-lab exercise. and allows students to work practical exercises
at their own pace and desire so that they are up to speed when entering the actual electronics
laboratory. The first complete release is ready for dissemination. It runs on a 486 machine (as
well as a 386, albeit slow, a math co-processor is strongly recommended).
The Program
The software consists of several executable files and a central database. All of these are combined into
one package by running the ELF executable. This setup allows for running ELF:
- From the supervising ELF executable, which requires users to log in and logs various data.
- As stand alone executables, in which case no data is logged. You can enter a lab at any
desired point, however.
When running the ELF executable, each new user is given a lab tour first.
This tour is intended to familiarize the new user with
the laboratory
procedures and environment. After completing this tour, the user can elect
to work either any of the nine laboratories
or eight tutorials.
Several forms of help are available during the
exercises.
Acquiring the Software
ELF comes as a set of three installation disks. Version 1.6.1 can be
acquired from ftp.vanderbilt.edu using anonymous ftp.
A commercial version is planned for release in 1995 published by
Falcon Software, Inc
One Hollis Street
Wellesley, MA 02181
Tel. (617) 235 1767
Please direct any questions to
Falcon Software
(falconsw@world.std.com) or
pjm@vuse.vanderbilt.edu
(Pieter J. Mosterman).
Acknowledgments
This research was supported, in part, by NSF project USE-9156244 and the
Vanderbilt University School of Engineering. The authors also gratefully
acknowledge the software support and laboratory grant
provided by Microsoft Corporation and Hewlett-Packard.