Control and Measurement — Interfacing

Abstract

One of the most exciting features of the BBC micro Model B is its built-in digital and analogue interfaces. By enabling the computer to be connected to other equipment for monitoring and control purposes, these open up an entirely new range of applications. The computer need no longer be simply an aid to simulating complex experiments, but can become an integral part of the student’s laboratory work. There can be little doubt that the use of computer-type technology will continue to expand and the more familiar our students become with it, in a realistic setting, the better for them and the industrial future of the country. Obviously pressure of time and the restrictions of syllabus content may not allow us to go as far as we might along this path, but the intention in this chapter is to indicate some of the possibilities and to show how simple it is to connect the Beeb to a wide variety of external environments.