Utilizing a PIC18F8722 microcontroller to automate a laboratory experiment

This paper presents the design and implementation of a laboratory project for first-year Bachelor of Science undergraduates that is intended to consolidate concepts in the field of Physics. The laboratory experiment implements a plane whose inclination can be manually modified by the user (student or instructor), and contains a processing device based on a PIC 18F8722 microcontroller, which oversees the acquisition and processing of data supplied by different sensors located along the plane. This makes it possible for the kinetic parameters (speed and acceleration) associated with the descent of a ball rolling down the plane to be automatically and accurately measured. Moreover, the system has a radio communication module that allows it to send information to the students´ laptops if these are equipped with another radio module. Therefore, the experiment can be performed in the laboratory by students who directly control all the process or by the teacher while the students observe the results on their own laptops. This practical experiment was implemented as part of a senior-year project by Electronics Engineering majors. The designers (students) of this project were able to see how their knowledge of Electronics can help them to implement complex applications that can be very useful to teaching activities.