A POWERFUL, INEXPENSIVE EXPERIMENT CONTROLLER OR IBM PC INTERFACE ANDEXPERIMENT CONTROL LANGUAGE

A very powerful, but inexpensive, advanced technology (16 MHz 80C188EB ) experiment controller is described. It can be programmed in either a BASIC-like (ECBASIC) or an ALGOL-like (ECL) procedure specification l anguage. It provides 1-msec resolution, optional transparent total dat a logging, and is designed to function as a remote peripheral processo r in a network with virtually any computer acting as the network super visor (e.g., IBM compatible or Macintosh). Each serial port on the hos t computer can support up to 10 simultaneous experiments. The various optional I/O modules provide for opto-isolated normally open or normal ly closed switch operation input, high current output, as well as D/A and A/D functions. Our I/O modules can also be plugged directly into a n IBM PC parallel port by using a small adaptor board. In this way, th e advantages of using ECBASIC or ECL to control experiments are availa ble to researchers who wish to simply interface their host computer di rectly to the apparatus in order to minimize expense.