Teaching digital signal processing with Stanford's Lab-in-a-Box

Abstract

This paper describes our efforts to include a hands-on component in the teaching of core concepts of digital signal processing. The basis of our approach was the low-cost and open-source “Stanford Lab in a Box.” This system, with its easy to use Arduino-like programming interface allowed students to see how fundamental DSP concepts such as digital filters, FFT, and multi-rate processing can be implemented in real time on a fixed-point processor. The paper describes how the Lab in a Box was used to provide a new dimension to the teaching of DSP.