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Frequently asked questions regarding the Emona FOTEx, plug-in hardware for the NI ELVIS platform that teaches introductory concepts related to fiber-optic based communications.
Table of Contents
- What is the Emona FOTEx? What does FOTEx stand for? What is the ETT-203?
- What courses and students is the NI ELVIS & Emona FOTEx bundle designed to teach?
- How does the FOTEx fit into an electronics engineering course? And how does the FOTEx broaden the understanding of real world applications involving fiber optic transmission?
- What is the "block diagram approach"?
- How is the FOTEx used?
- Where can I find experiments? How does a student or professor make experiments with the FOTEx?
- How does a student relate FOTEx modules to block diagrams? Why are there "round" and "square" marking around the connectors on both sides of each module? Why don't gain and adjustment control knobs have calibration or scale markings?
- What manuals are included with the FOTEx?
What is the Emona FOTEx? What does FOTEx stand for? What is the ETT-203?
The Emona FOTEx is an add-in board for the NI ELVIS platform. It is designed for telecommunications courses, specifically fiber optics topics and covers a telecommunications and fiber optics fundamentals.
FOTEx stands for "Fiber Optic Telecommunications Experimenter". ETT-203 is the specific EMONA part number. ETT stands for "Emona Telecoms-Trainer."
What courses and students is the NI ELVIS & Emona FOTEx bundle designed to teach?
The NI ELVIS / Emona FOTEx bundle is designed for:
- Introductory courses in modern telecommunications and fiber optics
- Introduction to electrical/electronic engineering
- Programming LabVIEW to control hands-on hardware
- Introduction to Signals and Systems
The bundle is a hands-on learning system for:
- Introductory and intermediate telecommunications theory courses
- First year university students in introduction to electrical engineering courses
- Signal processing courses
- Technical college/community college students learning telecommunications theory
- Telecommunications classes that focus on fiber optics topics
How does the FOTEx fit into an electronics engineering course? And how does the FOTEx broaden the understanding of real world applications involving fiber optic transmission?
The FOTEx gives students hands-on experience with the theories and concepts involved in fiber optic transmission theory.
The FOTEx allows students to learn concepts of telecommunications system components such as coding, sampling and TDMA, as well as concepts of fiber optic transmission such as filtering, splitting, losses, etc. After learning these fundamental concepts, students can more easily approach other, more advanced telecommunications topics.
What is the "block diagram approach"?
It is common for engineers to interpret mathematical equations and theories as a diagram of the signal flow. This block diagram approach is no different for telecommunication engineers. The block diagram approach assists engineers in understanding how to implement complex theory as real hardware.
Telecommunications textbooks are a rich source of "block diagrams", many of which can be implemented with the FOTEx board.
How is the FOTEx used?
The FOTEx is used to implement block diagrams. Once a mathematical equation for a given telecommunications system is derived, it is first converted into a block diagram model. From this model the individual building blocks such as sequence generators, filters, encoders/decoders are patched together on the FOTEx board. The resulting signal can then be converted to light to examine properties of fiber optic transmission. Through this process the student will implement the hardware realizations of telecommunication equations.
The individual circuit blocks on FOTEx are connected using the 2mm patching leads and the fiber optic patch cables that come with the FOTEx kit. The process of using these 2mm patching leads and fiber optic patch cables to connect various circuit blocks is referred to as patching. All patching is done on the FOTEx board.
Where can I find experiments? How does a student or professor make experiments with the FOTEx?
The FOTEx Lab Manual Volume 1 includes 13 experiments. These experiments cover such topics as PCM encoding/decoding, sampling and Nyquist, optical signal filtering, splitting and combining, and more.
Since experiments are made by patching together FOTEx modules, and each module represents a fundamental telecommunications system building block, any equation or block diagram in a telecommunications text book is a potential experiment. The FOTEx is merely a foundation that allows for creativity in designing experimental courseware for students.
How does a student relate FOTEx modules to block diagrams? Why are there "round" and "square" marking around the connectors on both sides of each module? Why don't gain and adjustment control knobs have calibration or scale markings?
All FOTEx modules follow a consistent "front panel convention". Once a user has been introduced to the FOTEx conventions, they will find it easy to use any FOTEx module. The FOTEx "front panel conventions" ensure that FOTEx modules relate closely to the Block Diagram representations that are commonly used in telecommunications and signal processing.
The key conventions are as follows:
- FOTEx inputs are always on the left hand side of the module's panel
- FOTEx outputs are always on the right hand side of the module's panel
- Analog inputs & outputs are always marked with a "circle"
- TTL level (digital) inputs & outputs are always marked with a "square"
Gain and adjustment control knobs do not have scale markings intentionally, as engineering students are expected to measure the amplitude (using either the scope or RMS METER) and frequency of each module's output (with the scope or DYNAMIC SIGNAL ANALYZER), and relate or adjust these values in accordance with the block diagram or equation they are modelling.
What manuals are included with the FOTEx?
The FOTEx includes two manuals:
- FOTEx User Manual: this manual provides a brief description of the use and operation of each FOTEx functional block
- FOTEx Lab Manual Volume 1: this manual includes 13 fundamental experiments covering such topics as PCM encoding/decoding, sampling and Nyquist, optical signal filtering, splitting and combining, and more.
Additional Resources
- Frequently Asked Questions for Emona FOTEx: Part 2
- Frequently Asked Questions for Emona FOTEx: Part 3
- NI ELVIS/Emona Telecommunications Bundle
- NI ELVIS Telecommunication Education Resource Page
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