Simula 2000: an Internet based working environment for the support of educational applications in the field of electronics

The use of computers in electronics education has suffered an impressive evolution during the years. Following that evolution, a series of applications has been developed to make communication electronics easier to learn for students of the University of the Basque Country. The last version of this applications, Simula 2000, allows remote operation through the use of a web-based interface and a server running under Linux in the University building (accessible from the outside through the Internet connection of the University). Its main features are on-line tests, circuit explanations and, one of the main important differences with respect to similar applications, real-time simulation. It uses a copy of Spice to simulate the different circuits (stages) that students design with the help of a series of libraries included with the application. It also allows these stages to be connected to create bigger and more complex circuits (projects) that can also be simulated. All this makes Simula 2000 become one of the most advanced learning tools that can nowadays be found at the University of the Basque Country