A program translator software solution for remote data acquisition

Abstract

A software solution was developed for remote data acquisition applications, i.e., applications where line power is unavailable. The solution was developed in response to a lack of suitable software for environmental measurements using battery powered computers. The software solution is in the form of a program translator that creates programs dedicated to specific remote data acquisition applications from a dialect governed by specific rules. A methodology is presented for defining real-time measurement applications based upon three time components: a scanning interval, an average period, and an averaging interval. The software solution is termed ADAPT, an acronym for 'All-purpose Data Acquisition Program Translator'. ADAPT was written for a Hewlett-Packard hand-held computer, the HP-71, and a Hewlett-Packard data acquisition system, the HP-3421A. The methodology and algorithms may be applied to other computer and data acquisition systems.