A Zero-Cost,Real-Time,Windows Signal Laboratory

Abstract

This paper introduces a Windows-based signal capture, display, and waveform synthesis package called ‘Win-eLab’. The software is able to run on a conventional desktop or laptop with no additional hardware, and can perform real-time Fourier analysis on audio-frequency signals. This paper is intended as an introduction to Win-eLab, aimed at motivating further use of it in both teaching and self-directed learning contexts. The use of the software to familiarize students with the concept of ‘laboratory’ instrumentation is discussed, as well as the usefulness of a simultaneous time-domain/frequency-domain display for understanding signals, particularly in signal processing and communications systems courses. It is anticipated that applications may extend beyond electrical and electronic engineering – for example, as an aid to understanding mechanical vibrations, acoustics, and in other discipline areas.