Data Acquisition Programming (LabVIEW): An Aid to Teaching Instrumental Analytical Chemistry.

A course was developed at Austin Peay State University (Tennessee) which offered an opportunity for hands-on experience with the essential components of modern analytical instruments. The course aimed to provide college students with the skills necessary to construct a simple model instrument, including the design and fabrication of electronic circuits and computer programming in a data acquisition (DAQ) language. LabVIEW was selected as the DAQ language for the course. The course covers: introductory concepts of electronic circuit design; fundamental concepts of data acquisition programming using LabVIEW; Waveform generation and acquisition for electrochemistry virtual instrument (VI); and computer-controlled electrochemistry instrument VI. Assignments and recent developments in the course are noted. (AEF)