Reconfigurable mechanical vibrations laboratory kit

TL;DR

This paper introduces a low-cost, reconfigurable mechanical vibrations laboratory kit designed for remote undergraduate teaching, enabling multiple experiments on core vibration principles with a common hardware platform.

Contribution

It presents a novel, adaptable hardware and software platform for remote mechanical vibrations experiments suitable for first-year undergraduate courses.

Findings

Enables remote experimentation in mechanical vibrations

Supports five core laboratory experiments

Facilitates future expansion and customization

Abstract

Mechanical vibrations appear across a diverse range of applications, but nevertheless are unified by a core set of principles and phenomena. In this article, we describe a reconfigurable laboratory kit that is designed to be used as part of a first undergraduate course in mechanical vibrations. The kit was designed to be low-cost and allow for a series of laboratory experiments to be performed remotely. Using a common set of core hardware and software, five laboratory experiments are detailed and can be performed to supplement many of the major topics traditionally encountered in a first vibrations course. This accessible platform will readily enable further technical improvements and expansions, as well as the development of additional instructional modules.