A CAMAC based ultrasonic data acquisition workstation
B. A. Barna, L.S. Beller, Joy A. Johnson, C. G. Shull, Steven C. Taylor, John B. Walter · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1985
Computer Automated Measurement and Control (CAMAC) is an instrumentation and interface standard that provides both hardware and software flexibility. Using standard CAMAC modules and a few custom designed routing and clock circuits we have developed a computer-controlled system for general purpose ultrasonic scanning and data acquisition. The CAMAC system provides a relatively easy way of interfacing to the motor controllers and a transient recorder for complete computer control. The main advantage is that the interface software can be written in a high-level language such as FORTRAN to send commands to individual modules in the system to move motors or to activate a transient or to readout the transient recorder data. The system has the capability of performing sequences of commands repeatedly so processes like signal averaging can be easily implemented. New, custom applications can easily be accommodated by changing modules and writing new interface routines in FORTRAN. For example, we have modified the basic system by replacing the transient recorder with a time-to-digital converter and we now have the capability to record time-of-flight ultrasonic data. Another example is the ease with which new scanning devices can be added to the system. The stepper-motor controllers can be reprogrammed to accommodate the characteristics of the new device, again using a high-level language such as FORTRAN.