Real hardware experiments via internet – More lab time, more savings
net*TIMS FreeWire – Your Complete Multi-User Telecoms Lab Solution
Get this single box in your lab, and have a complete lab course running for 24 x 7 , to many students simultaneously. net TIMS FreeWire offers real TIMS experiments delivered online simultaneously to multiple students across LAN & Internet in real-time.
- Students control real TIMS hardware from their PC, Laptops, Tablets and Smartphones to obtain immediate PC-scope display of the real signals
- One Unit for 30+students at once with independent control
- Immediate control via web browser – no software to download
- Real Circuits, not Simulation
- Continuous 24/7 access to real TIMS experiments
- Professors control and monitor student usage
Builds student confidence and makes the experiment satisfying as the students are free to explore and learn by making mistakes. When they explore more, they learn more.
Access live experiments and experience netTIMS FreeWire in action.
For a FREE TRIAL username and password, please contact us or email us at [email protected]
netTIMS FreeWire in use, with local users via LAN and remote users via internet
net*TIMS – FreeWire: No setup required by the Professors. All experiments included in the Control unit, which students can then access and control from within the lab and at a distance, to carry out the experiments.
Simple Browser Log – On
A user logs on to the net*TIMS FreeWire Server using their web browser. They receive a client screen, corresponding to the module set up on the TIMS System. The user can switch, insert or by-pass hardware modules in the experiment, for multi-stage experiments.
Multi-User
The net*TIMS FreeWire Server manages a multiuser environment, allowing several students, each at a different location, to be logged onto the same FreeWire unit and independently carrying out different experiments or their own session of the same experiment.
Experiment Capabilities
The list of Experiments that can be performed on netTIMS FreeWire is listed below for your information.
Modelling Equations
DSBSC – generation
AM – Amplitude Modulation
Armstrong’s phase modulator
FM – WBFM
Sampling
Phase division multiplex
PWM – pulse width modulation
PLL & Carrier Acquisition
PCM – encoding & decoding
PCM-TDM
ASK
BPSK
FSK
QPSK
QAM
Eye patterns
Line coding & decoding
DSSS spread spectrum
AM demodulation and SNR
The noisy channel
non linearity & distortion
net*TIMS FreeWire FAQ
You can go to any browser on your PC, (chrome, firefox or IE) and you will be able to access the experiments on a given IP address. The access will be controlled by username and password, set up by the Professor. On the screen, you can select modules, patch them together, and perform real experiments communicating to the real system.
You are controlling real hardware TIMS modules in a real TIMS system, and viewing the real electrical signals via a PC based scope.
All front panel toggle switches, rotary switches and Potentiometers can be changed by the user.
All signal levels can therefore be altered and investigated.
All significant points throughout the experiment can be viewed by moving the scope leads, ChA, ChB, and triggering points can also be altered to suit.
The patching of the modules in the experiment can be altered if a SWITCH module is being used, otherwise the patching remains fixed. Modules also remain fixed for each experiment.
All the knobs and switches are controllable. This image shows a typical toggle switch and Potentiometer knob control.
To adjust knobs, you can either:
- click on the knob and drag the knob pointer to your required point
- click on the knob, which highlights it, and then use left or right arrows on your keyboard to move by one increment at a time.
- click on either left half or right half of knob to rotate either anti-clockwise or clockwise respectively by one increment at a time.
To adjust toggle switches, you simply click on them and they cycle through the available positions – up, middle (for a three position switch) and down.
The scope is designed to mimic a traditional scope with manual controls. The TIME and FREQ buttons activate the time domain or frequency domain displays respectively.
To select a point to view, firstly select a scope input channel by clicking on the input terminal alongside labels ChA, ChB or TRIG. This will highlight and number ALL outputs which are available for that input to connect to. Then, click on the highlighted output you wish to view. The scope lead will connect to that point. The number of points to view is fixed and determined by the experimental setup at the net*TIMS system unit. The ‘Single / XY / Acc’ switch selects between the default of single shot mode, XY mode where ChA is plotted against ChB and Accumulate mode. Accumulate mode continuously requests a new screen capture and overlays them onto the display. This is useful for viewing Eye diagrams and other subtle variations of a waveform over time. Triggering at the same point in the waveform is usually very important when using Accumulate modes in scopes.
The ‘wiring’ button changes the look of the patching of the wires, but doesn’t change the connections themselves. This can be useful to improve visibility of connections and settings.
Use the ‘ELASTICITY’ control knob to vary the position of the patching leads to suit yourself.
Triggering is very important in net*TIMS, as always in TIMS. The net*TIMS scope has full triggering features as on a normal scope.
The Rise/OFF/Fall switch is used to turn on Triggering mode. The source of the trigger signal is then selected by the ChA/Ext/ChB switch. If EXTernal trigger is selected, then the trigger comes from the signal connected to the TRIG terminal with the green patching lead. LEVEL and DELAY set the trigger level and trigger delay time.
When using FREQ mode on a channel, the x1, x2 and x4 switch zooms in on the FFT display for closer inspection. SNGL (single) and AVG(average) mode create an FFT display based on one screen capture or several.
Beware of the aliasing which arises on digital scopes…creating false signals which appear correct. Always be aware of your time base settings and check that what you see is what you expect.