Abstract:
Price cuts and expanded chances for student-owned equipment are already having an influence on the open lab paradigm and changing the curriculum of analogue and digital communications courses in electrical engineering at a range of schools. Student-owned portable equipment, for example, provides for more hands-on learning and allows the lab to be flipped to promote student involvement. This method had little influence on analogue and digital communications until recently since the most competent equipment, such as the ubiquitous RTL Software Defined Radio (RTL SDR), was prohibitively costly or inexpensive. The ADALM-PLUTO SDR dongle lacks the capabilities required to build and implement a full-duplex communication system. The analogue Active Learning Module-Pluto Software Defined Radio (or PlutoSDR) equipment, which is currently available for $250 (academic price), looks capable of bridging the gap between these two extremes, both of which are full-fledged transceivers. This section examines the benefits and drawbacks of using PlutoSDR into classroom and open lab situations. To begin, we'll examine PlutoSDR's hardware capabilities, restrictions, and installation requirements. Then, using PlutoSDR, GNU Radio, and MATLAB/Simulink, we'll walk through a communication lab example.
