Lab experience for circuits classes in a simplified lab environment

Circuit theory, analog electronics and digital electronics are essential classes for EET/CET/EE curricula and require students to complete various labs in order to gain the necessary hands-on experience they need when entering the job market. In order to provide this hands-on experience, traditional labs for circuit theory, analog electronics, and digital electronics require a number of measuring and signal-generating instruments, such as power supplies, multi-meters, oscilloscopes, function generators, etc. Learning to use proficiently the many instruments found in a typical lab is both a time consuming and challenging task. Unfortunately, students who would like to spend time outside class working on labs and projects are restricted by the significant cost of the equipment. Furthermore, students enrolled in distance learning programs, due to their remote location, struggle even more to find the opportunity to gain the required hands-on experience. This paper is a case study to analyze the feasibility of handling labs for circuit related classes through an alternative approach based on a simplified lab environment, which can be located virtually anywhere. The lab environment we analyzed is the Digilent's Electronics Explorer Board powered by the WaveForms software. The single board includes various devices used in traditional analog/digital classes such as power supplies, function generators, oscilloscopes, logic analyzer, multi-meters, etc. As a case study, this paper introduces some experiment we have developed to test the simplified lab environment.