Threadbare Parallel Port DAQ Card

Sumit Ghambir; P. Arun

Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 0708.3487

Threadbare Parallel Port DAQ Card

Sumit Ghambir·P. Arun

View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

A very simple Data acquisition card was developed in our under-graduate class for interfacing with the parallel port of a standard computer. It was developed with the intention to enable students to do various physics experiments with the computer sparing them from knowing the details of the electronics required. The article is a summary of our experience and ends with a request for suggestions to improve the circuit without losing its simplicity.

Explore related subjects

physics.ed-ph

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Sumit Ghambir, P. Arun. 2007-08-26. Threadbare Parallel Port DAQ Card. https://arxiv.org/abs/0708.3487

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

Using Learning Analytics to Study Novice Learners' Work on Quantum Circuit Simulator Tasks

Interactive quantum circuit simulators are increasingly used to support introductory quantum computing education for learners from varied disciplinary backgrounds. These environments can also generate detailed response logs of submitted circuits, but such data are rarely transformed into evidence that instructors can use for course redesign and development. We present a learning analytics framework for quantum circuit simulator tasks and report its task-level branch on anonymised logs from an introductory quantum computing course delivered in the TIM learning environment. The task branch characterises exercises through participation, completion, first-attempt accuracy, valid-attempt counts, sessionised active time, and observed answer-space reporting of common correct and incorrect constructions. The dataset covers the 2024-2025 cohort of 492 learners, 47,533 valid submissions, and 21 obligatory quantum circuit exercises. The framework identifies bottleneck tasks, broad solution spaces, and recurring wrong-answer patterns that are not visible from final scores alone. Its most distinctive output is a plain-text representation of the observed answer space, designed to make open-ended circuit submissions directly interpretable to instructors. We show how response logs can reveal actionable task-design issues and support concrete course redesign. A learner-level branch is retained only as an ongoing research extension and is not a central empirical contribution of the present paper.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2026

Stable levitation of ring magnets: A low-cost, 3D-printed experiment on the magnetic force-distance law

Magnetic levitation is one of the most captivating phenomena in physics, combining a striking visual appeal with the rich underlying physics of forces and interactions in equilibrium. Bringing it into undergraduate laboratories in a quantitative way is nevertheless often hindered by the intrinsic instability of static magnetic systems and by the high cost of active control systems. Here we present a simple, safe, and very low-cost experiment that uses ring-shaped ferrite magnets together with a mechanical stabilization system fabricated by 3D printing in a male--female configuration. The apparatus lets undergraduate students explore directly and quantitatively the relationship between the magnitude of the magnetic force and the separation distance. We assess the robustness of the device through experimental tests, whose results show excellent quantitative agreement with the equivalent current-loop model. Furthermore, we validate this model through a complementary, independent first-principles-based methodology based on axial magnetic field profiling. To support reproducibility, the 3D design files are made available in a public, open-access repository.

physics.ed-ph↗

arXiv2026

Thermal fluctuations and electronic readout using a moving-coil movement

The moving-coil meter provides a simple context in which to model deterministic electromechanical dynamics, thermal fluctuations, and electronic readout. The movement is a linear electromechanical system in which electrical resistance and intrinsic mechanical damping act as two independent dissipative channels, each accompanied by thermal fluctuations. The stored energy provides a Lyapunov function for stability, and the algebraic Lyapunov equation yields the stationary covariance in closed form. The result exhibits equipartition among the energy terms; damping is shown to reshape the temporal memory of the fluctuations without changing their steady-state variance, giving a thermal floor of a few picoamperes for a representative movement. Exact stochastic integration reproduces the stationary covariance and autocorrelation structure; the covariance is also recovered by spectral integration. Embedding the movement in an active current-drive readout shifts attention to the noise of the complete readout, which a design-stage estimate expresses as a few parts per million of full scale, growing as the input sensitivity increases. The example illustrates that measurement sensitivity and resolution cannot be considered independently. The treatment is aimed at master's-level students in physics with some background in statistical physics and stochastic processes, and basic familiarity with analog electronics.

physics.ed-ph↗