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MODULAR INSTRUMENTATION DESIGN

Part 1ýDefining the Project
by Bob Perrin

Start • The Problem ý The Solution ý Mechanical Interface ý Man Machine Interface ý Electrical Interface ý API ý In Closing ý Sources and PDF

Being close to the embedded controller market, I see many end users contort their applications to fit available off-the-shelf hardware. I also watch people build additional hardware to supplement off-the-shelf products. In the end, projects often turn out expensive, physically awkward, power hungry, and time consuming.

There is a niche market of entrepreneurs, scientists, and small capital-constrained instrumentation companies that is not being adequately served. So, over the next few months, Iýll be writing about my adventures as I attempt to build a system of modular instrumentation that will better serve the measurement community.

This article focuses on defining the project and taking a first cut at laying some ground rules for the application program interface (API). Subsequent articles will cover electrical design, mechanical packaging, keypad design, LCD interfacing, and firmware. This series will not run in consecutive months, but as portions of this project are completed, Iýll write them up.

The goal of this series is twofoldýto have a complete, flexible, and practical controller design available to the public, and also a documentation of the thought process as it pertains to a design cycle. Hopefully, there will be some good ideas, as well as some mistakes to learn from.

NEXT

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