Guide to Data Acquisition Interfacing on the PC

Part 1: Introduction to Data Acquisition on the PC

1 The PC as a platform for data acquisition

1.1 Types of PC

1.2 The processor

1.3 Memory

1.4 Input/output ports

1.5 Buses and adaptor card slots

2 Software considerations

2.1 An overview of DA&C software

2.2 Data acquisition and control in real time

2.3 Implementing real-time systems on the PC

2.4 Robustness, reliability and safety

Part 2: Sampling Fundamentals

3 Sensors and interfacing

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Digital I/O

3.3 Sensors for analogue signals

3.4 Handling analogue signals

3.5 Digitization and signal conversion

3.6 Analogue measurements

3.7 Timers and pacing

4 Sampling, noise and filtering

4.1 Sampling and aliasing

4.2 Noise and filtering

Part 3: I/O Techniques and Buses

5 The interrupt system

5.1 Interrupt vectors

5.2 Hardware interrupts

5.3 Software interrupts and processor exceptions

5.4 Interrupt priorities

5.5 Writing interrupt handlers

5.6 Re-entrancy and accessing shared resources

5.7 Interrupt response times

6 Data transfer

6.1 Data-acquisition interface devices

6.2 Data transfer techniques and protocols

6.3 Buffers and buffered I/O

7 Parallel buses

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Data acquisition using a parallel bus

7.3 The PC’s parallel port

7.4 The IEEE-488 (GPIB) bus

8 Serial communications

8.1 Some common terms

8.2 Introduction to asynchronous communication

8.3 Data acquisition via a serial link

8.4 Serial interface standards

8.5 Asynchronous serial I/O on the PC

Part 4: Interpreting and Using Acquired Data

9 Scaling and linearization

9.1 Scaling of linear response curves

9.2 Linearization

9.3 Polynomial linearization

9.4 Interpolation between points in a look-up table

9.5 Interpolation vs. power-series polynomials

9.6 Interactive calibration programs

9.7 Practical issues

10 Basic control techniques

10.1 Terminology

10.2 An overview of control systems

10.3 Programmable logic controllers

10.4 Safety and reliability of control systems

10.5 Discontinuous control systems

10.6 Continuous control systems

Part 5: Examples

11 Example projects

11.1 Dimensional gauging of railway carriage wheels

11.2 In-situ sensor calibration on a tube-straightening machine

11.3 Dimensional gauging of turbine blades

11.4 Torsional rigidity testing of car bodies

11.5 Winch testing system

11.6 Brake actuator test system

11.7 Monitoring of bush-insertion load

11.8 Laboratory furnace temperature control

11.9 Thermo-luminescence spectrometry

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