Influence of microprocessor technology on instrument and system design
Mike Johnson · University of North Texas Digital Library (University of North Texas) · 1979
Current microprocessor technology as it relates to the design of instruments and instrumentation and control systems is surveyed. Because of fast-paced technological advances, design philosophies must change. The engineer's role and the tools he uses are also changing. The processing power of today's microprocessors and modular microcomputers is sufficient to satisfy a very wide class of instrument and control system requirements. In fact, the constraint is identifying imaginative problems rather than developing solutions. Current representative applications of microprocessors are examined, including some implemented at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL). Future trends in LSI product capability, programming languages, standardization, and applications such as intelligent transducers and distributed processing systems are considered.