A Communication Systems Simulation Laboratory

Taking advantage of techniques developed in the field of Computer Science, a laboratory based on a minicomputer system has been generated for the general purpose simulation of analog and digital communication systems. Using a graphics terminal, a student user may specify the characteristics of his desired system and then dynamically examine time and frequency domain displays as the information-bearing signal propagates through his system. The system user describes his system initially in terms of an Information Flow graph which identifies all system nodes, their interconnections, and characteristics. This graph is then represented in the simulation as a chained User Program. The execution of that User Program simulates the communication system. Emphasis in this system is placed on the ability to model physical processes and the use of graphical displays to relate the model to the process itself. In addition, the characteristics of a minicomputer facility to duplicate the simulation system discussed here are presented.