An Instrumentation And Data Acquisition Course At Purdue University

The course teaches measurements of variables common in industry, signal conditioning, data acquisition using computers, data processing, and transmission and communication of measurement results. Graphical programming is used by students to write programs for the acquisition, processing, and presentation of data. The instrumentation laboratory test stands have a computer, a data acquisition system, various transducers for pressure, flow, and temperature, and several other process control components such as valves, a pressure accumulator, a heat exchanger and heaters. The test stands are selfcontained, modular, movable and can be used wherever there is electric power. Internet connection allows monitoring and control of the test stands from anywhere in the world. Students have applied the skills gained in the course to research and industrial uses. The course has helped one of its students win an international scholarship. Started at Purdue University, the course has been taught at, and is in the process of being adopted by a university in Brazil.