Use of help

This is how to select a help topic: Click on the related topic.

Help

button for a list of all help topics. Double-click on any of the lines to go to the

If you want an alphabetically arranged index of help topics, click on the letter of the search expression to move to the appropriate section. Click on the button to return to the previous help topics.

button. Enter the first

Click on the double-arrow button Click on the double-arrow button

to view related help topics in successive ordering. to view related help topics in reverse ordering.

Introduction
COM3LAB courses are very easy to use, due to their uniform structure and Windows-based user environment. Like a book, a COM3LAB course is divided into chapters and pages. Some of the pages contain several processing steps.

Help

Menu

Help

Buttons for selecting the page to be displayed are positioned in the bottom right-hand corner of the COM3LAB window.

Click on this button to confirm that you have read the text, viewed the pictures or carried out the steps required by the program. Continue takes you to the next processing step. Click on this button to display the previous page.

Click on this button to stop processing the current page and display the next page.

Click on this button to call up a course overview from where individual pages can be selected.

Click on this button to repeat a page sequence.

Click on this button to open help.

Click on this button to get informations about the version.

Click on this button to open the glossary.

Working area
The work area of this COM3LAB course is divided into a descriptive area and a display area.

Help

The left half of the window in the descriptive area contains text on the current learning step. Many of these texts contain hotwords 1 . A hotword is always displayed in blue and can be clicked on.

After a hotword is clicked on, an explanatory box describing the related item in closer detail appears in the display area. Click on every hotword you encounter to obtain full information on the related items.

The display area is located in the right half of the program window. It contains photographs and diagrams concerning the topic on that page.

Working area

Help

Some display areas contain blue colored or bordered hotspots 2 , which you must click on just like the hotwords to obtain a description. You should also make ample use of this facility to obtain detailed information.

The blue colored words in the descriptive area are termed hotwords. Clicking on a hotword calls up an explanatory box containing further details on the related item. Some explanatory boxes contain further hotwords. When you move the mouse cursor over a hotword, the cursor changes into a white hand to indicate that this text block can be activated.

Like a hotword, hotspots allow detailed information to be called up. Hotspots are blue or blue bordered objects in the display area. Clicking on a hotspot calls up an explanatory box containing further details on the related item. Some explanatory boxes contain further hotspots. When you move the mouse cursor over a hotspot, the cursor changes into a white hand to indicate that this object can be activated.

Tool box

Help

The tool box is located in the bottom left-hand corner of the COM3LAB window. If you require measurement instruments or other accessories for this experiment, click on the corresponding buttons. Oscilloscope Function generator Multimeter 1 Multimeter 2 Digital analyzer Word processing Printer Calculator Free Experimenting

Program messages

Help

The program messages of the COM3LAB course are displayed in the lower middle section. These can include prompts to carry out various operations, responses to your entries, help messages etc.

Description area

Help

The descriptive area of a page provides a brief explanation of the topic dealt with on that page. To obtain further details on this topic, click on each of the blue colored hotspots.

HotWord

Help

The blue colored words in the descriptive area are termed hotwords. Clicking on a hotword calls up an explanatory box containing further details on the related item. Some explanatory boxes contain further hotwords. When you move the mouse cursor over a hotword, the cursor changes into a white hand to indicate that this text block can be activated.

Explanatory box
Explanatory boxes appear in the display area when you click on a hotword. They provide a detailed explanation of the related item and sometimes contain further hotwords.

Help

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Display area

Help

The display area comprises the large section on the right-hand side of the screen and contains illustrations concerning the current topic.

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Hotspot

Help

Like a hotword, hotspots allow detailed information to be called up. Hotspots are blue or blue bordered objects in the display area. Clicking on a hotspot calls up an explanatory box containing further details on the related item. Some explanatory boxes contain further hotspots. When you move the mouse cursor over a hotspot, the cursor changes into a white hand to indicate that this object can be activated.

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Question box

Help

While the experiments are being performed, questions occasionally appear on the screen in the following form:

Depending on the topic involved, there is either just one or more correct answers to a question. When a question box first appears, all choices are unmarked to allow you to freely decide which of the possibilities is correct. Once you have made your decision, simply click on the corresponding choice with the mouse. After you have selected a choice, confirm your selection by clicking on "OK" .

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Question box

Help

The program message which subsequently appears shows you whether your answer is correct. If not, you are given a further opportunity to answer the question.

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Continue

Help

The continue key allows you to proceed through a program page step-by-step. It is used to acknowledge program messages and entries, start graphic sequences, confirm circuit configurations etc. Once all the steps in a page have been completed, the continue key brings you to the next page.

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Repeat

Help

Most pages change as their steps are processed. To restore a page to its initial state, click on repeat. Also use this button if you want to work again on a page which you have already processed.

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Change page

Help

The COM3LAB user guidance system provides three possibilities of changing a currently displayed page.

Normally, you will click on continue to proceed after having completed a step. After you have completed all the steps, the next page is called up automatically. Note: some pages are not divided into individual steps. In such cases, the next page is called up immediately. Click on previous page to call up the previous page.

Click on next page to stop processing the current page and display the next one.

Click on course overview to obtain an overview of all pages. From this display, you can directly access any page.

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Previous page

Help

Click on this button to exit the current page and return to the previous one. Note: If the previous page was already fully processed, it will appear in its final state, i.e. the processing sequence will not be commenced again. If you want to process such a page once more, you must also click on repeat. In contrast, pages processed only partially or not at all are started from the beginning.

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Next page

Help

Click on this button to leave the current page and jump to the next one. Note: If the next page was already fully processed, it will appear in its final state, i.e. the processing sequence will not be commenced again. If you want to process such a page once more, you must also click on repeat. In contrast, pages processed only partially or not at all are started from the beginning.

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Overview/end

Help

Click on this button to display the course overview:

This sign shows that the page has been visited. This sign shows that the page has been done completly and correctly. Click on exit to exit the COM3LAB course (see Exit the COM3LAB course).

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Audio

Help

If you click on the button with the loudspeaker symbol, the COM3LAB texts are read aloud. Of course, this happens only if your PC is equipped with a suitable sound card and a loudspeaker or headphone connection. Note: If you want to repeat the most recent spoken text, deactivate and activate the loudspeaker symbol once again.

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Exit the course

To finish work on the COM3LAB properly, carry out the following sequence of steps:

Help

First you should exit the COM3LAB course. For this, click on soverview/end. In the course overview, click on exit and answer the subsequent prompt with "yes". Turn off the COM3LAB master unit.

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Tool box

Help

All the auxiliary programs of a COM3LAB course can be called up from the tool box in the bottom left-hand corner of the program window. The toolbox contains the buttons for the measurement instruments, calculator, word processing and printer.

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Measuring instruments
The following measuring instruments are provided by COM3LAB: Two multimeters for measuring direct/alternating voltages and currents as well as resistances.

Help

One function generator with square-wave, triangular and sinusoidal curve shapes as well as an adjustable, direct voltage source. One oscilloscope with two signal inputs and digital storage.

One 9-bit digital analyzer with a freely selectable trigger word and 2048-word memory.

In order to get help for the different instruments please click on this button opening the instrument.

or press the key F1 after

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Textverarbeitung

Help

The Windows text editor (Notepad) can be invoked from the COM3LAB course for the purpose of storing text. This program is suitable for logging individual experiments, for example.

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Calculator

Help

A calculator can be invoked from the COM3LAB course when calculations need to be performed. Note: Calculated results can be copied to the clipboard and inserted into the tables of the COM3LAB course.

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Printer

Help

After clicking on the printer symbol, the Windows print dialog for the settings of the printer will be opened. With 'OK' the settings will be saved and the print preview will be opened.

The print preview will be exit with this button.

With this button the print settings will be opened.

Start the print.

After pressing this button the page gets the normal size.

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Printer

Help

Browse back through the print preview.

Browse forward through the print preview.

This shows the actual and the maximum page number.

Calls up this help topic directly. With a click on the page with the left mouse button the page will be zoomed larger and with the right mouse button smaller.

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