Use of the augmented reality technology in fundamental electronic applications

In recent years, the latest developments in science and technology have provided solutions to a number of problems we face every day. Education is definitely one of the fields in which the most recent technological developments have been implemented. Conventional educational materials have started to give their place to the evolving technologies. One of the latest products of these evolving technologies, mobile devices have brought about an undeniable relief to our lives, including how we learn and teach. Today's technologies are applied to solve the problems experienced in the conventional educational systems such as the need to convert abstract concepts into concrete ones, dependence on education materials and physical environments for learning by experience, and the requirement to increase the permanence of learning. Electronic education is among the leading disciplines to combine both theory and practice in its learning path. Transforming the theoretical learning into real life experiences in laboratories is an indispensable part of the electronic education. There is no doubt that laboratory studies require an inevitable dependency on physical environments and experiment equipment. Moreover, the mentioned laboratory studies do not enable a physical view of such abstract concepts as current, voltage, power and so forth and enable only a quantitative measurement of these concepts by use of measuring instruments. The underlying aim of this study is to introduce a different approach to electronic education, and contribute to a technology-based learning path in electronic education with an authentic and innovative approach. Thus, the laboratory booklets will be enriched with circuit markers and thanks to a mobile application to be developed, these booklets will be utilized in interaction with the mentioned mobile application. For the purposes of this study, simulations of such elements utilized in the electronic education as serial LED driver circuits, diode clipper circuits, operational amplifier circuits have been designed on the mobile application developed. Laboratory booklets with circuit markers will include all the information and visuals pertaining to the practical experiment to be conducted in the laboratory environment. Furthermore, these booklets will also include special markers specific to the circuit to enable related experiments to be simulated. Once the ARElectonicLab application is turned on via the mobile device and the related circuit's marker is shown to the ARElectronicLab application, the mobile device will start the simulation specific to the circuit in question. Hence, students will be able to experiment and get informed on each experiment before coming to the class, and to get maximum efficiency during the class as they will have a prior knowledge. At the same time, ARElectronicLab will enable to simulate experiments after the class without any dependency on a physical laboratory or equipment, and thus, support repeatable learning experience in electronic education. The utmost advantage of these conveniences will be to transform the electronic education into an experience-based, repeatable, high quality, and long-term learning journey.