Development of a signal-toolkit to increase the availability of measurement equipment at courses dedicated to technical sciences

Typically universities with a focus on technical sciences provide courses where students have to measure analog/digital signals and analyze different types of embedded communication interfaces. Specifically, the University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien equips all students (full­time, part-time, and distance learning), based on OPES (One Platform for Every Student), with embedded learning platforms to train their technical skills and expertise extensively. This availability of real embedded learning platforms implies that the appropriate measurement equipment has to be available as well. Of course, students have access to measurement equipment at the university, but to be able to complete the exercises and assignments at home, it is mandatory to have access to measurement equipment outside the university. Hence, students with special needs and distance learning students, neither have time nor have easy access to complete their exercises and assignments with professional measurement equipment. To address this need of access outside the university, a suitable signal toolkit is necessary. To offer this measurement equipment for every student, it has to be affordable for the university. Furthermore, it should provide convenient features and functions, should be executable on various operating systems, and easy to maintain. This paper describes the development of a versatile, low-cost, open-source signal toolkit which has the potential to increase the availability of measurement equipment and closes the lack of access. Moreover, this paper gives an overview of the signal toolkit architecture, the hardware components, and the graphical user interface.