4 Sep
2010
4 Sep
'10
11:15 a.m.
PDT-150 is a bounded system, no internal options to
speak of
That's waht I thought.
(assuming full memory and serial option). As is the
PDT130
(TU58 mass storage) and PDT110 (no mass storage).
It has multiple serial ports. A/D, D/A and other general IO can be done
via
serial communications.
It's certainly possible, but it wasn't that common at the time. Did DEC
make ADC and/or DAC modules with serial interfaces for it? Was there
software to talk to such devices (other than send/receive a string
to/from a seiral port)?
I am wondering how this machine differed in its 'instrumentation'
capabilites from any other machine with a couple of spare serial ports.
How does it jsutify its name?
I'm sure if it had a IEE488 bus port you would not have asked the question
Indeed I wouldn't...
but, serial works and there are many instruments out
there that have serial
as an option. I know this as I'd used a Keithly High resolution DMM with
At that time HP were selling ADC, DAC, timing generator, relay, etc
modules with an IEEE-488 interface. The ADC I am refering to is not a
complete DVMor DMM unit, but a simple 11 bit ADC with much the same
capabilities as the one that goes into a MINC-11 Were other companies
selling similar units with RS232 interfaces?
a external 4 wire switch (also serial control) to
build a 10 position
test station.
-tony