PC/VAX or standalone PC-based general purpose biological data collection system.

Abstract

A system, to collect, analyse and display biological data, is developed using IBM PC AT compatibles (PCs) or CED1401/1609 devices networked to a VAX environment. It can be operated in three separate modes: using the CED/IEEE/VAX network; using the PC/Ethernet/VAX network; as a standalone PC. The original system comprised CED 1401/1609 data collection devices running on the IEEE bus. This has been superseded by a PC-286 or better incorporating an analogue-to-digital convertor (DT2824-PGH) and a communications interface board (DEPCA) linked by thinwire Ethernet (ThinWire) running DECnet with their product network application software PCSA. This network has not only doubled the original throughput but has also removed the two major IEEE constraints: 4 m between devices and the physical linking of devices to the VAX. The PCs are logically linked to clustered VAXes on Ethernet, giving flexible networking supporting multiple ThinWire segments, each supporting a maximum of 30 PCs per 185 m segment length. As the enhanced design compliments the original, both may operate concurrently, appear similar in operation to the user and use the same analysis software, all of which help reduce the rate of system obsolescence.