MINC-11 (was Re: Collection reduction, part II the sequel)

[Tony Duell]

> >> 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)?
> >
> >    
> 
> No but it was possible to use M,K and other sries modules to do it yourself.

Sure, but that doesn't seem like much liess work than designing the whole 
data logger from scratch.

> 
> As to not common,  here (usa) it was, of course it wasn't cheap.

I will admit the only ADC/DAC modules I've worked with (as opposed to 
complete instruments that have computer interface ports) are the HP ones 
which of course have HPIB/IEEE488 interfaces. Was there an an RS232 
equivalent of, say, the HP59313 ADC?

> > How does it jsutify its name?
> >
> >    
> Packaged software.

OK.

> > 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?
> >
> >    
> 
> Yes, National instruments, Keithly, Simpson, HP[with options],
> Tektronix and a multitude of smaller companies.  It was not

For measuirng instruments, sure. But not for building-block modules/.

> uncommon to use a complete 3-5000(US$) instrument
> just to test a specialized part because it was flexible or
> offered a very high order of resolution and accuracy
> (>5digits).   Most ADC board were usually 10 to maybe
> 14 bits when the application needed 20 or more.

That depends -- a lot -- on the application. I've done things where I'm 
glad of the (reliable) 5 digits from an HP DMM. I've done things where 6 
bits wre enough/


> 
> You only have to remember that by time the PDT series hit
> the 8080/8085/z80/8048/8051/6502/6800 cpus were well
> entrenched in the instrumentation market and but needed

Personally I wouldn't consider (or have considered at that time) a 
machine as an instrumetnion controller if there wasn't an IEEE-488 port 
eiterh built-in or as an option. 

> a host with more power to do serious data reduction and

HP9845? HP9000/200 machines were starting to appear around then too.

-tony