Integrating a DSP system into a telecommunications laboratory

A description is given of the Signology SP-20 digital signal processor unit used for the senior-level Telecommunication Systems Laboratory at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. The unit consists of two input-signal channels with 20 kHz anti-aliasing filters and specialized DSP hardware (three Texas Instruments TMS 32010 microprocessor chips). The authors discuss typical laboratory applications involving signal measurements, network response measurements, modulation analysis, and measurements of signals in noise. This system is considered to be cost-effective, is efficient in terms of space utilization and setup/measurement time, and needs no equipment calibrations or warm-up times. Hardcopy results are generated with minimal effort or expense