An Integrated Matlab Suite for Introductory DSP EducationRichard Radke and Sanjeev Kulkarni, Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University

Presented at 1st IEEE Signal Processing Education Workshop, Hunt, Texas, 2000

We present a series of laboratory interfaces designedfor a mandatory sophomore-level electrical engineeringclass at Princeton University, ELE 201: Introduction to Electrical Signals and Systems.

Frequency-domain filter design(graphic equalizer bars can be dragged)

Time-domain filter design(filter taps can be dragged)

Lab 4: Filtering digital signals

Tasks: design and apply FIR filters denoise signals separate signals enhance signals (e.g. "bass boost")

Lab 2: The frequency domain

Tasks: Isolate pure tones of phone signals Denoise signals Bandpass filter and demodulate a hidden message

Lab 3: Sampling and interpolation

Tasks: Sample signals See and hear aliasing Reconstruct with different methods Verify Nyquist's theorem

Lab 1: Signal representation

Tasks: Introduce Matlab and the basic design element, splay Design, see, and hear signals Understand sampling rate

Plans for the future: unification of the above tools into a single one-dimensional signal viewer with multiple "panels" analogous consistent interfaces for two-dimensional image processing (sampling, quantization, halftoning, JPEG, MPEG, etc.) distribution of lab exercises and Matlab tools as a set of combinable lab modules

Undergrads see signal

processing daily (MP3, JPEG,

MPEG)

GUI front ends to Matlab are

easy to design

Computers are getting cheaper

and faster

We can introduce high-level signal processing concepts earlier in the EE curriculum

About the interfaces: Matlab 5.0 + Signal Processing Toolbox 4.0 Initial GUI design with guide Transparent implementation of DSP algorithms Independent of command-line window Common design elements between labs

Goal: Integrate interfaces to minimize overheadStudents learn more quickly using familiar toolsDevelopers can design tools more efficiently

Design philosophy:

Coding

Experimentation