High Speed Data Acquisition System.

This paper describes the expansion and modification of an existing data acquisition system to effect extensive improvements in speed and flexibility. A microprocessor, flexible disk drive, analog to digital converter, direct memory access module, and high-speed line printer were integrated and interfaced to an IBM 360 digital computer with a high-speed data transmission line. The resultant system provided the capability of digitizing up to sixteen analog inputs simultaneously at rates in excess of 45,000 samples per second. The experimental data could be transmitted expeditiously to the IBM 360 computer for efficient manipulation. Additional benefits gained from the system were its capabilities as a remote terminal for the IBM 360 and a typewriter-quality word processor. The data acquisition and reduction system was qualified for functional performance and speed through a series of test exercises. The word processor was demonstrated in the production of this document. Author