With New Tektronix Equipment, Taiwan’s Chung Hua University is

Providing the “Best Possible Engineering Education”

October 2006

The Engineering College of Chung Hua University

in Taiwan recently faced both opportunity and

change. With a growing industry need for highly

skilled engineers, the university realized that

upgrading its electronic engineering research and

teaching capabilities would deliver a twofold gain.

First, an advanced technological environment

would better prepare its students for the challenges

they will face beyond academia. And second, it

would bolster the school’s standing in the

engineering community and improve recruiting

efforts.

To take advantage of the opportunity, the university

initiated the Integrated Teaching Laboratory (ITL)

project, which included the enhancement of four

laboratories. The laboratories are used for

engineering courses focused on electronics,

microprocessors, very large-scale integration

(VLSI) architectures and field programmable gate

array (FPGAs) chips. As part of the ITL project, the

laboratories now serve as the primary platform to

deliver advanced instruction to all students, and

are also utilized extensively for student research

projects.

Key components of the upgraded laboratories are

state of the art test and measurement equipment,

including Tektronix AFG3000 Series

arbitrary/function generators.

“The AFG3000 arbitrary/function generators are

well suited to the needs of Chung Hua University,”

said James Alderton, Senior Marketing Director for

Tektronix in the Asia Pacific region. “We designed

the AFG3000 Series to meet the demanding

requirements of today’s electronic engineers.

These new Tektronix signal source instruments

enable Chung Hua University students and faculty

members to significantly increase their productivity

and expand their capacity for innovation.”

Upgrade Chung Hua University’s electronic

engineering research and teaching capabilities

through the enhancement of four laboratories.

Challenge

Solution

Benefits

The Integrated Teaching Laborator y (ITL) project,

which features modernized laboratories containing

Tektronix AFG3000 arbitrary/function generators

and other state of the art test and measurement

equipment.

With exceptional performance, a small footprint,

intuitive interface and a large display, the AFG3000

enables university faculty to more effectively carry

out teaching programs and experiments.

Solution Summary

Inc. All other trade names referenced are the service marks, trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

10/06 JS/WOW 75W-20165-0

“By equipping our labs with Tektronix

AFG3000 arbitrary/function generators,

we are providing our students with the

best possible engineering education.”

-Professor J.H. Tarng, Dean of the Engineering

College at Chung Hua University

Professor J.H. Tarng, Dean of the Engineering

College at Chung Hua University, echoed this

sentiment. “By equipping our laboratories with

Tektronix AFG3000 arbitrary/function generators,

we are providing our students with the best

possible engineering education,” he said.

With fast performance, a small footprint, an intuitive

interface and the largest display available on the

market, the AFG3000 enables the university��s

faculty to more effectively carry out teaching

programs and experiments.

“The AFG3021 user interface lets us easily see

different types of parameters on its large display,”

explained Professor Tarng. “This enables

professors and students to see both detailed

parametric values as well as gain an overall

graphical appreciation for the waveform shape

before connecting the AFG3000 to a device under

test or to an oscilloscope. The new instrumentation

and teaching approach has provided a significant

improvement in classroom instruction and

learning.”

Integrating Theory with Practical Application

According to Professor Tarng, the new test and

measurement equipment has enabled Chung Hua

University to move beyond traditional teaching

methods. Teachers at the Engineering College can

now quickly and effectively integrate the theoretical

curriculum with practical verification of electronic

engineering topics and fields of study.

“After the explanation of theoretical curriculum,

teachers and students can now immediately apply

and verify the material using the AFG3000,” said

Professor Tarng. “For example, when teaching the

intricacies of small signal amplification, the

AFG3000 is employed to produce a small signal of

10 mV to send to the amplifier. The students then

use a Tektronix digital real-time oscilloscope to

observe enlarged waveforms from the output

terminal of the amplifier.”

Professor Tarng indicates this pioneering work—

which delivers immediate, tangible demonstration

and learning—deepens students’ understanding of

electronic circuitry operation and significantly

increases their interest in the subject matter.

The usability and functionality of the instruments

are also improving the productivity of the

Engineering College’s faculty. Professors can now

record waveforms in advance of classroom or

laboratory instruction and store them to a memory

stick using the AFG3000’s USB ports. This allows

faculty and students to focus less on instrument

setup and waveform generation, which can waste

valuable classroom and laboratory time, and more

on the specific application of curriculum and

experimentation.

Chung Hua University expects its new laboratories,

featuring the AFG3000 and other Tektronix

instruments, will help strengthen and develop the

technical skills of its students. With usability that

allows students and faculty to spend more time

conducting research and less time manipulating

the test equipment, combined with exceptional

performance, functionality and interface, the

instruments have successfully enhanced the

school’s electronic engineering research and

teaching capabilities.