Did you know you can now turn an ordinary myDAQ with LabVIEW into a programmable action controller? We sat down with esteemed STEM educator, Tom White, to talk about the new mySTEM Board miniSystem which he designed to do just that. This is how he explains the new miniSystem for myDAQ, why it was created and how it can help teach and learn science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Tom is an expert on STEM education and already has written many interesting articles including this one discussing how project-based learning improves STEM Education.

Tom White explains the mySTEM™ Board miniSystem

High quality STEM education projects require the monitoring processes with sensors, making decisions and causing an appropriate output.  LabVIEW is the industry standard software for data acquisition and control.  The myDAQ is an affordable, student-ready measurement and instrumentation device. It allows students to create and monitor experiments.  The signals generated by the myDAQ are very low power, the reason that the device is very affordable. In order to control large, higher current output devices a separate driver circuit is necessary. These can be complicated for students to build and might not be a good use of their time.  The mySTEM™  Board was created to allow students to connect the myDAQ to output devices. With a minimum of wiring a student can write a control program in LabVIEW and connect to hundreds of different kinds of output devices. Students can concentrate on signal processing and the logic of control. The mySTEM™ Board allows students to set up projects without unnecessary complexity.

The mySTEM™  Board is designed for students who wish to create solutions to unique design problems.  It will allow students to try many different possible solutions quickly allowing for greater creativity.  Students in STEM education programs, engineering technology and engineering programs of all types will find this board invaluable when creating proof of concept ideas. Industries today are looking for young people who have experiences in all aspects of design. Students in mechanical, electrical, control systems, industrial, process control, manufacturing, automation and robotics will find this an invaluable learning tool.  The board is adaptable to many types of situations.

Education Applications

mySTEM Board with myDAQ and LabVIEW

The mySTEM™ Board is supported by learning resources written by distinguished educator Tom White.  The curriculum documentation provides students with an introduction to the board.  It discusses combinational and sequential logic and how it applies to control systems.  It covers digital and analog sensors and how decisions are made. It will support students so they can connect both active and passive sensors. Students will learn the process of designing programs, turning state machine diagrams and flow charts into LabVIEW programming to control their systems. Students will learn programming structures and how to safely control outputs. Students can also learn the principles of pulse width modulation and an introduction to PID control.  This documentation could be used as a programming curriculum or as support materials to teams of students who wish to explore the use of the mySTEM™ Board  on their own. Once students know how the systems are controlled they will only be limited by their imaginations.

If you are looking to build fully-functional models and prototypes with the mySTEM Board and myDAQ , you will need the mySTEM Do Engineering Component Kit. This kit includes over 480 precision-made fischertechnik parts such as switches, lights, gearboxes and more.