PCs: the R&D engineer´s magic wand

PCs together with their wide range of third-party expansion hardware and high-level software give the R&D engineer the means to provide powerful and low-cost one-off instrumentation tools specifically tailored to his unique requirements. Where more robust or multiple applications are required PC compatible processor cards for industrial bus systems enable direct transfer into an industry standard 19 in rack system. In the laboratory the researcher´s familiarity with the PC as an office tool will allow him to devote his time to the analysis of the experimental data rather than climb a new learning curve for each new piece of experimental equipment. Three applications illustrate the versatility of the PC in varying roles as a robotic controller, a high-speed data logger and analyser, and a fluid pump controller. The latter project also illustrates the migration path of a control system from a development PC into a robust rack-mounted industrial instrument