• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.18-29
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• 1983

A low cost and versatile data acquisition system for the field and laboratory use was developed by using a single board microcomputer. Data acquisition system based on a Z80 microprocessor was built, tested and modified to obtain the present functional system. The microcomputer developed consists of 6 kB ROM, 5 kB RAM, 6-seven segment LED display, 16-Hex. key and 8 command key board. And it interfaces with an 8 channel, 12 bits A/D converter, a microprinter, EPROM programmer for 2716, and RS232C interface to transfer data between the system and HP3000 mini-computer manufactured by Hewlett Packard Co., A software package was also developed, tested, and modified for the system. This package included drivers for the AID converter, LED display, key board, microprinter, EPROM programmer, and RS232c interface. All of these programs were written in 280 assembler language and converted to machine codes using a cross assembler by HP3000 computer to the system during modifying stage by data transferring unit of this system, then the machine language wrote to the EPROM by this EPROM programmer. The results are summarized as follows: 1. Measuring program developed was able to control the measuring intervals, No. of channels used, and No. of data, where the maximum measuring speed was 58.8 microsec. 2. Calibration of the system was performed with triangle wave generated by a function generator. The results of calibration agreed well to the test results. 3. The measured data was able to be written into EPROM, then the EPROM data was compared with original data. It took only 75 sec. for the developed program to write the data of 2 kB the EPROM. 4. For the slow speed measurements, microprinter instead of EPROM programmer proved to be useful. It took about 15 min. for microprinter to write the data of 2 kB. 5. Modified data transferring unit was very effective in communicating between the system and HP3000 computer. The required time for data transferring was only 1~2 min. 6. By using DC/DC converting devices such as 78-series, 79-series. and TL497 IC, this system was modified to convert the only one input power sources to the various powers. The available power sources of the system was DC 7~25 V and 1.8 A.