Higher-level computer modeling to enhance laboratory hardware experiences

The concept of using sophisticated computer models to describe dynamic system behavior is presented as a means of enhancing student experiences in traditional hardware laboratories. These higher-level computer models include the effects of noise and certain nonlinear operations which are usually avoided in an elementary laboratory. Including these modules not only allows the student to become familiar with more realistic effects in the small-scale environment but also permits a study of phenomena that are likely to occur only in large-scale systems. The advantage is that novel experiences can be brought into the undergraduate curriculum through laboratory courses that include both hardware and computer models describing situations heretofore not possible in the undergraduate laboratory. A specific example from a senior-level digital design course is given. The initial focus is on microprocessor controller design for a positional servomechanism; the concepts are then extended to a large-scale elevator design.<>