Project GUISE

Updated June 30, 2006

Project GUISE (General-purpose Universal Instrumentation System for Education) is a computer-based laboratory instrument originally designed as a class project in EENG 4409 (Electronic Circuit Analysis II) in the spring semester of 2001 at the University of Texas at Tyler. It combines LabVIEW virtual-instrumentation software, a multifunction I/O card, and custom external hardware to provide the basic functional blocks commonly used in instrumentation systems. It is intended to permit engineering students to rapidly construct working instrumentation systems. Full access to the circuitry permits students to see how the signal processing is accomplished in instrumentation systems. Permanent hardware for Project GUISE was constructed by UT-Tyler EE senior Chris Field in 2003. Hardware and VI upgrades have been made since that time.

Project GUISE hardware/software resources:

· Photorgaphs of the Project GUISE instrument

· Hardware description

· Schematic diagrams

· Front-panel drawing

· Virtual instrument program (zip archive)

Project GUISE instructional resources:

· Introduction to strain gages and design of a simple load cell

· Introduction to thermocouples and design worksheet for thermocouple thermometers

· Phase-sensitive demodulation

· Optically-coupled isolation amplifier

New instructional resources will be added as they are developed.

Project GUISE was developed with support from grant DUE-9952292 under the CCLI program of the National Science Foundation.