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The MiniLab Experience
"The MiniLab is ideal for me. Having all of my instruments on my desk next to my computer saves me trips to the lab and allows me to concentrate more on my work."
Michael H.
EE Student
Overview
The trends in education are changing. The Internet has opened the possibility of online training, and more and more institutions are taking advantage of this technological advance to offer off-campus education, typically referred to as distance-learning. However, for engineering and other fields where laboratory education is mandatory, distance-learning presents new challenges. Engineering students are typically required to take a large number of laboratory courses where they learn the basic skills of circuit design, test, and measurement, through the use of electronic instrumentation.
To address this problem, Applied Circuits has designed the MiniLab E100. The MiniLab E100 is the only product in the marketplace specifically designed for distance-learning instruction of electrical and electronic engineering students. The E100 provides an integrated instrumentation platform, with the necessary performance and an affordable price for students to own.
The MiniLab E100 is a compact, low-cost, USB-based multi-function electronic measurement instrument. It combines the three essential instruments used by electrical and electronic engineers: the oscilloscope, the function generator, and digital multimeter. A 100 MHz, 250 million samples per second (MSPS) oscilloscope, a 5 MHz function generator, and a digital multimeter, are all incorporated in a device with a footprint the size of a CD, making the MiniLab both compact and portable.
Cost savings are achieved by linking the MiniLab E100 to a PC via USB and using the PC to display the data via Applied Circuits’ eBench software. The eBench user interface mimics standard electronics instruments to train students for work in real-world labs. The eBench also includes features to facilitate data analysis: waveforms can be captured and saved, and the data can be exported from the eBench software to spreadsheets or third party software applications.
The MiniLab E100 is not just for students, however. The outstanding specifications of the E100 make it a valuable tool for all electronics developers. With a wide bandwidth, the E100 allows analysis of a wide variety of electronics designs. Small, rugged, and easily packed up, the E100 can be taken into the field when projects cannot be brought into the lab. Data can be readily shared and analyzed by team members.
The E100 incorporates standard test probe connections. It is software upgradeable and can be remotely controlled across the Internet.
Features
General
The MiniLab E100 is compact and portable. At 5.1 inches diameter, its footprint is the same as a CD and it is only 1.4 inch thick. Its proportions were specially designed to occupy a minimal space on already crowded desktops and workbenches. It weights just 0.39 pounds.
- Small and Portable
- CD size footprint
- Light weight
Oscilloscope
The MiniLab E100 oscilloscope has the performance needed to debug modern electronic circuits. With an analog bandwidth of 100MHz, and a real-time sampling rate of 250MSPS, and 2 channels, it yields performance levels only found in oscilloscopes manufactured by leaders in the industry, such as Tektronix and Agilent. Furthermore, the MiniLab E100 also provides excellent vertical sensitivity, ranging from 10mV/div to 50V/div while using the provided x1/x10 probes. The time base ranges from 5ns/div to 5s/div, and multiple trigger mechanism are supported.
The E100 oscilloscope virtual interface was designed with students in mind. The menus and controls replicate those of a standard bench-top oscilloscope, thereby making the user experience as close as possible to using an actual bench-top oscilloscope. The E100 also includes several advanced features, such as 13 automatic measurements, waveform math operations, waveform captures as JPEG, and waveform data export to XML and Excel.
The MiniLab E100 comes equipped with two x1/x10 oscilloscope probes.
- 2 Oscilloscope Channels
- 100MHz Analog Bandwidth
- Sample rate up to 250MSPS per channel
- High vertical sensitivity; 10mV/div to 5V/div
- AC and DC input coupling modes
- 13 automatic measurements
- Waveform math operation and cursors
- Standard bench-top oscilloscope interface
- 1Mohm || 20pF input impedance
- Two x1/x10 100MHz oscilloscope probes included
Function Generator
The MiniLab E100 function generator is a versatile and easy-to-use instrument, with a wide variety of applications in both analog and digital electronics. At the heart of the instrument are a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) and a 10-bit, 25MSPS digital-to-analog converter providing excellent frequency stability and precision from 0.1Hz to 5MHz for sine, triangle, square and pulse waveforms.
The E100's function generator also provides user control of amplitude, DC offset, and duty cycle. The DC offset control allows accurate biasing of analog circuits, as well as the generation of standard digital signals (TTL, CMOS, ECL, etc). In addition, the wide-range amplitude control, capable of producing an output ranging from 20mVpp to 9.5Vpp, gives the function generator ultimate flexibility.
- Direct digital synthesis (DDS) design, providing excellent frequency stability and precision.
- Sine, triangle, square, and pulse wave outputs
- Wide frequency range (0.2Hz to 5MHz)
- Wide amplitude range; 20mVpp to 9.5Vpp
- DC offset and duty cycle control
- 0.186Hz frequency resolution
- 100ppm frequency stability
- 50 ohm output impedance
- Probe included
Digital Multimeter
The MiniLab E100 digital multimeter (DMM) is a multipurpose tool, designed for a variety of electronic measurements. The styling of its graphical interface as a familiar hand-held DMM makes controlling the DMM easy and intuitive. The DMM provides industry standard measurements, such as voltage and current (AC and DC), resistance, continuity, and diode check. With advanced features like auto-ranging, Min/Max detect, measurement hold, and bar graph display, the DMM is a capable addition to the MiniLab E100 toolset.
- 3 ½ digit DMM
- 2000 count resolution
- AC/DC voltage and current measurements
- Resistance, continuity, and diode measurements
- Full auto-ranging measurements
- Virtual digital display with bargraph
- Special features; hold, maximum, minimum, and average measurements
- DMM probes included
User Interface
The MiniLab E100 provides virtual graphical interfaces for all of its instruments using the PC to display the data via Applied Circuits’ eBench software. All of the E100 graphical instrument interfaces are design to mimic the interfaces of standard bench-top instrumentation used around the world.
The eBench also includes features to facilitate data analysis. Waveforms can be captured and saved, and the data can be exported from the eBench software to spreadsheets, and third party software applications.
The E100 can also be remotely controlled across the internet through the use of Remote Desktop Sharing or similar software and services. This allows instructors to assist distance-learning students with their assignments. It also allows multiple developers to share the instruments and perform measurements and tests remotely.
Applied Circuits is committed to providing software drivers and programming examples for users who wish to write their own software or use our products with third party software – providing the capability of automating and customizing measurements.
- Virtual graphic interface designed to mimic the interfaces of standard bench instrumentation
- Faithfully reproduces the user experience of controlling real bench-top instruments
- Familiar interface and controls; no training required.
- Ideal training tool for electrical and electronic students
- Advance data analysis tools; waveform capture and export
- Software upgradeable
- Supports "remote control" across the Internet
- Software drivers and programming examples available
Specifications
General Specifications
PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS |
|
|---|---|
Dimensions |
5.1x5.1x1.4 |
Power Consumption |
7.5 W |
Interface |
USB 2.0 |
Oscilloscope Specifications
SAMPLING SYSTEM |
|
|---|---|
Maximum Sampling Rate |
250MSPS |
Vertical Resolution |
8-bits |
Record Length |
2048 points |
VERTICAL SYSTEM |
|
Analog Bandwidth (-3dB) |
100MHz |
Channels |
2 |
Vertical Sensitivity |
10mV/div to 5V/div in x1 mode, 100mV/div to 50V/div in x10 mode |
Vertical Position Range |
+-4 division |
BW limit |
40MHz |
Input Coupling |
DC and AC |
Input Impedance |
1Mohm || 20pF |
TIME BASE SYSTEM |
|
Trigger Modes |
Auto, normal, single shoot |
Trigger Types |
Edge: rising, falling |
Trigger Source |
CH1, CH2 |
MEASUREMENT SYSTEM |
|
Cursor Types |
Voltage, time |
Cursor Measurement |
Delta voltage, delta time |
Automatic Measurements |
Period, Frequency, Mean, Peak-to-Peak, Amplitude, |
Waveform Math |
Add, subtract, multiply |
PROBES |
|
Probes Attenuation Modes |
10:1 (x10) and 1:1 (x1) |
100MHz in x10 mode, 15MHz in 1x mode |
|
10Mohm / 15pF in x10, 10Mohm / 46pF in x1 |
|
Function Generator Specifications
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS |
|
|---|---|
Synthesis Technique |
Direct digital synthesis |
Amplitude Resolution |
10 bits |
Sample Rate |
25MSPS |
Waveforms |
Sine, triangle, square, pulse |
FREQUENCY CHARACTERISTICS |
|
Range |
0.1Hz to 5MHz |
Resolution |
0.1Hz |
Frequency Stability |
100ppm |
OUTPUT CHARACTERISTICS |
|
Waveform Amplitude |
20mV to 9.5Vpp (54dB of dynamic range) |
Waveform Offset Range |
+-4V |
Output Impedance |
50ohm |
ACCESSORIES |
|
Probes/Cables |
Included |
Digital Multimeter Specifications
GENERAL SPECIFICATIONS |
|
|---|---|
Display |
Digital, bargraph, 3 1/2 digits |
Available Functions |
AC voltage, DC voltage, Resistance, Continuity, Diode, AC Current, DC Current |
Special Features |
Hold Function; Max, Min, Average Measurements |
Probes |
Included |
Documentation
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