often , a new physics faculty member is faced with the duty of renovating the introductory physics labs . we will provide a list of experiments and equipment needed to convert about half of the traditional labs on a 1-year introductory physics lab into microcomputer - based laboratories ( mbls ) . our student body consists mostly of science majors that take the algebra - based course . but , the lab renovation described here could be used for the calculus - based group as well . we would suggest adjusting the lab manuals . nowadays , mbls are usually the choice when thinking of a renovation . they have effectively demonstrated an advantage to the learning process over the years.[14 ] moreover , for our science students , the labs are important in reinforcing the concepts learned in class . it is very common to hear , during the lab sections , students commenting on their grasp of the concept learned in class due to the experiment being performed . the overall 1-year lab experience follows the guidelines provided by the american association of physics teachers . it contains a brief theoretical description and the procedures to be followed on the day of the lab . on the lab day , the students should come prepared and ready to start without additional instructions . the instructor circles around the stations to guide and answer appropriate questions if needed . on the lab day , the students are handed the lab report . it contains a data analysis part , some discovery questions , and ends with a summary and conclusion part . the report is completed by the student during the session . we did not find an appropriate version for the other half to meet our overall goal . therefore , we kept a few traditional labs . the list of experiments is chosen based on the lecture material . one of the concerns was to always be able to cover the theory before the lab was performed by the student . one - year introductory microcomputer - based laboratory experiment list understanding motion , free fall , projectile motion , atwood 's machine , boyle 's law , electrical equivalent of heat , heat transfer , electrostatic charge , ohm 's law , rc circuit , and magnetic induction . a suggestion for the beginner is to try all the experiments before hand until you get really familiar with the sensors and software and how they work . most of the time , it is a lack of understanding of the use of the apparatus , assuming it is not defective of course . we will list here the total equipment needed per station to implement the 1-year lab described above . it is expected that the laboratory will have a printer that can be shared among all groups . each station consists of a laptop and the science workshop 750 interface ( ci-7650 ) with the datastudio software ( ci-6870 g ) . lab station : science workshop interface , laptop and motion sensor sensors to be used with the interface for data measurement : motion sensor ( ci-6742a ) , photogate and pulley system ( me-6838 ) , accessory photogate ( me-9204b ) , time - of - flight accessory ( me-6810 ) , pressure sensor ( ci-6532a ) , temperature sensor ( ci6605a ) , power amplifier ( ci-6552a ) , charge sensor ( ci-6555 ) , voltage sensor ( ci-6503 ) , photogate head ( me-9498a ) . figure 2 displays a few sensors . from left to right : pressure sensor , charge sensor , and photogate head the datastudio software collects and analyzes the data . it has an easy - to - use interface , allowing the students to explore the data . for instance , the left screenshot in ure 3 displays a graph of voltage versus time . the data are collected using a voltage sensor when a magnet is dropped through a coil . the students can select a region on the graph and the software calculates the area under the curve . the screenshot on the right in figure 3 displays the curve - fitting feature of datastudio . left screenshot : induction lab using graph and area under the curve calculation . the pressure column will be filled as the measurements are taken using the pressure sensor . boyle 's law lab using a table display the additional equipment needed from pasco to perform the experiments are : picket fence ( me-9377a ) , projectile mini launcher ( me-6825a ) , photogate mounting bracket ( me-6821a ) , extension cable ( pi-8117 ) , thermodynamics kit ( ci-6514a ) , charge producers ( ci-6555 ) , faraday ice pail ( es-9057b ) , ac / dc electronics lab ( em-8656 ) , and bar magnet ( em-8620 ) . general lab supplies needed include a pair of scissors and goggles , one digital balance  ohaus ( sp-601 ) , one meterstick , one thermometer , tongs ( handling hot bottles ) , gloves ( handle hot containers ) , braided physics string ( se-8050 ) , 500 ml glass container ( 90c water ) , banana plug cord red and black ( 5 on set ) ( se-9750 ) or ( se-975 ) , masses and hanger set ( me-8979 ) , universal table clamp ( me-9376b ) , calorimetry cups ( td-8825a ) , and hot plates ( se-8830 ) . oftentimes , this task is hard to accomplish for a solo faculty in a small institution . we provided here a list of the experiments and equipments needed to upgrade about half the experiments to mbls on a 1-year introductory physics lab . we would like to add that although we used pasco , there are other comparable systems in the market . the intention of this paper is to help others with their own lab renovation . in order to better fulfill this purpose ,