Digilent and Analog Devices Unveil Portable Analog Design Kits
for Engineering Students

 March 23, 2012 Press Release

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-- All-in-one design kits support classroom curriculum and include downloadable teaching materials,
    online support, textbook, reference designs and projects.


NORWOOD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) and Digilent Inc., unveiled today at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association (ECEDHA) in Austin, TX, two all-in-one analog design kits that enhance engineering students’ educational experience by allowing students to experiment quickly and easily with advanced technologies and build and test real-world, functional analog design circuits anytime – anywhere – right on their PCs. Watch an analog design kit video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DEOtVelvek

Complete Analog Design Kits for the Price of a Textbook

For the price of a textbook, students can purchase a low-cost analog hardware development platform and components, with access to downloadable teaching materials, online support, textbook, reference designs and lab projects to design and implement analog circuits as a supplement to their core engineering curriculum.

The Digilent Analog Discovery Design Kit ($99 USD) and the more advanced Digilent Analog Explorer Design Kit ($199 USD) allow students to build and test a wide range of analog and digital circuits using their own PC without the need for any other equipment. This approach eliminates the time and space limitations of traditional university lab settings and allows students more flexibility to experiment with real circuits through direct hands-on experience. Digilent is the leading supplier of academic electrical engineering design kits with kits in use at over 1,500 universities in 70 countries. ADI is one of the world’s leading analog semiconductor companies.

For More Information and Samples “Active learning – learning by doing – helps engineering students understand the process of breaking down larger problems into smaller, more easily solved parts without losing the overall understanding of the complete system,” said John Robertson, professor, Department of Engineering Technology, College of Technology and Innovation, Arizona State University. “The two new analog design kits from Digilent and Analog Devices set-up quickly and generate lots of data making any PC a 24/7 design studio for engineering students. I believe that students who own design kits and build circuits frequently learn better, retain more and enjoy the experience.”

Digilent Analog Design Kits Contents and Educational Material

Each design kit is powered by ADI components and includes:

Digilent Analog Design Kits Contents and Educational Material

Digilent Analog Design Kits ContentsBoth design kits connect via USB to a PC, run Digilent’s Waveforms software and are based on earlier, field-tested designs currently in use at colleges and universities worldwide.

“I like the flexibility of Digilent’s analog design kits. The department doesn’t need to maintain and staff the traditional large laboratory classrooms for my engineering students,” said Kathleen Meehan, associate professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. “Students instead complete experiments after class where and when they want with the analog design kit they purchased at the beginning of the semester. We provide help in the traditional way as well as online videos that give students assistance when they need it – no matter what time of day or night.”

Studies Show Engineering Students Perform Better With More Design Time
Recent studies presented at American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conferences show that students with unlimited access to design tools and hardware, like the Analog Discovery and Explorer Design Kits, consistently perform better academically than their peers using the traditional approach of two to three hours of lab sessions per week. Mean test scores improved approximately 18 percent in some studies and surveyed students showed more interest, creativity, practical knowledge and, more often than their peers, extended their designs beyond the initial requirements according to the studies. Links to the studies are below. Worldwide Availability and Pricing

Worldwide Availability and Pricing

About Digilent Inc.
Digilent Inc. is a leading electrical engineering products company serving students, universities, and OEM's worldwide with technology-based educational design tools. Based in Pullman Washington USA, Digilent designs, manufactures, and distributes its electronic design tools on a worldwide basis. Since its founding in 2000, Digilent products can now be found in over 1500 universities in more than 70 countries throughout the world. As a multinational company with offices in the US, Taiwan, China and Romania, Digilent is able to provide low-cost, expert quality solutions for a variety of customer needs. In addition to its own products, Digilent has OEM design and manufacturing services for leading technology companies including Xilinx, Analog Devices, and Cypress Semiconductor. http://www.digilentinc.com

About Analog Devices
Innovation, performance, and excellence are the cultural pillars on which Analog Devices has built one of the longest standing, highest growth companies within the technology sector. Acknowledged industry-wide as the world leader in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, Analog Devices serves over 60,000 customers, representing virtually all types of electronic equipment. Analog Devices is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, with design and manufacturing facilities throughout the world. Analog Devices is included in the S&P 500 Index. http://www.analog.com

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CContacts
Analog Devices, Inc.
Bob Olson
781-937-1666
bob.olson@analog.com

or

Andrew MacLellan
617-897-8270
andrew.maclellan@porternovelli.com




Date Posted  3/23/2012