ISSN: 0090-3973
Published Online: 5 January 2006
Page Count: 9

Story of MEGADAC 200: Keeping 200-Channel Legacy Data Acquisition Hardware Running by Developing a New Software Interface

Kalny, O
Hardesty and Hanover, LLP,NJ,

Peterman, RJ
Associate Professor,Kansas State University,KS,

Huang, C
Graduate Student,Kansas State University,KS,

(Received 8 August 2005; accepted 6 October 2005)

Abstract

This paper deals with a 16-bit 200-channel legacy data acquisition system from the 1980s— is controlled by ASCII strings originating from the host computer connected via a serial (RS-232) port. The original software package for was written in and runs only in the operating system on an Intel 386 processor, because of memory addressing issues. To interface from a modern computer, a new software interface [Object Oriented Blue Box ()] was created using the C++ programming language. This paper describes details of object oriented implementation, architecture of the graphical user interface, and other implementation details including communication with the port. enables one to define and calibrate internally energized strain gage sensors and externally energized sensors with voltage output, set up experiment tables for multichannel data acquisition, and perform data acquisition. Several special features, such as channel calibration and run-time plotting were also introduced.

Keywords:
data acquisition, serial port (RS-232), object oriented programming, C++

Paper ID: JTE14238
DOI: 10.1520/JTE14238
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