Books on microprocessor-controlled instrument design

[[email protected]]

Hi!

I need to design a board to control a pressure tester. I need to create
a 1 to 5 volt 12 bit ramp for a pressure command and read a 4-20 ma
pressure transducer to 12 bits at 10 samples per sec. I also need to
read some switches, drive some solenoids, and drive a display. Lastly,
I need to interface to a laptop to graph my data.

I figured I'd use a microprocessor to do all this. The only problem is
that I don't know how. This is where all yinz guys come in...

I need recommendations for books to select, design, and program such a
thing. I got a few months so I have time to read and digest a few books
on the subject. But they have to be the right books that give me what I
need.

All recommendations will be appreciated, at least somewhat.

TIA, YMMV, EIEIO,

Don

 

[[email protected]]

Hi!

I need to design a board to control a pressure tester. I need to create
a 1 to 5 volt 12 bit ramp for a pressure command and read a 4-20 ma
pressure transducer to 12 bits at 10 samples per sec. I also need to
read some switches, drive some solenoids, and drive a display. Lastly,
I need to interface to a laptop to graph my data.

I figured I'd use a microprocessor to do all this. The only problem is
that I don't know how. This is where all yinz guys come in...

I need recommendations for books to select, design, and program such a
thing. I got a few months so I have time to read and digest a few books
on the subject. But they have to be the right books that give me what I
need.

All recommendations will be appreciated, at least somewhat.

TIA, YMMV, EIEIO,

Don

12 bits is a bit too hard for a beginer, you should be able to buy
ready made boards that fit in a PC.

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

Hi!

I need to design a board to control a pressure tester. I need to create
a 1 to 5 volt 12 bit ramp for a pressure command and read a 4-20 ma
pressure transducer to 12 bits at 10 samples per sec. I also need to
read some switches, drive some solenoids, and drive a display. Lastly,
I need to interface to a laptop to graph my data.

I figured I'd use a microprocessor to do all this. The only problem is
that I don't know how. This is where all yinz guys come in...

I need recommendations for books to select, design, and program such a
thing. I got a few months so I have time to read and digest a few books
on the subject. But they have to be the right books that give me what I
need.

All recommendations will be appreciated, at least somewhat.

TIA, YMMV, EIEIO,

Don

Sounds like you want to design the electronic portion of a complete
product. I suggest you start with manageable chunks of it- start with
blinking an LED with a microcontroller, or displaying the pressure on
a DVM.

This is a very straightforward and quick project for someone who has
done this sort of thing before, however there are a lot of things that
can slow you down.

If you need a commercial product, you're probably best to contract the
development out. Assuming competent work, you'll end up with a design
that works right off and can be produced with minimal risk.

If you need a one-off test rig, you're probably best to use a
single-board computer wot comes with a software toolchain and enough
analog capability to handle your application. A PLC might be an
option. You can use a signal conditioner module for the pressure
transducer or buy one that has it built in. That means essentially no
soldering or PCB design and you can concentrate on the software, which
will be enough of a challenge. This trades materials cost for some of
your time.

If your goal is learning, and your time schedule is flexible, then
your suggested course of action is reasonable. Books? For the analog
stuff, you could do worse than Art of Electronics, Horowitz and Hill.
I can't say I've looked at it much myself, but I have heard Mike
Predko's books on the PIC recommended, if that microcontroller family
appeals to you. The one book of his which I looked at seemed to have a
lot of errors. If you do go with PICs (as opposed to one of the more
pleasant architectures such as MSP430 or HC08), I'd suggest you avoid
3rd party programmers entirely, as that can be a real source of
frustration for beginners. Many of them are flakey or only work with
certain combinations of computer/power supply/chip.

For 10 measurements per second, you'll probably want to avoid the very
low end of the 8-bit range of micros speed-wise, particularly if you
plan to use floating point calculations and/or do curve fitting.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[JB]

I have a board that will do what you need, without you having to
develop it from scratch. It might be better than reinventing the
wheel.

What quantity are you looking for?

 

[[email protected]]

I have a board that will do what you need, without you having to
develop it from scratch. It might be better than reinventing the
wheel.

What quantity are you looking for?

Hello JB,

My potential customer has sold a few of these machines so far with
someone else's board. He's not happy with the support he's getting and
I might be able to undercut his vendor. There could be a demand of
several hundred per year. Got specs?

Don