PC-supervised intelligent VXI instruments used for battery testing

摘要

A battery discharge test system designed for Ultralife BatteriesQuality Control department used intelligent VXI instrumentation to makethe system cost effective, flexible, and easy for operators to use. FourVXI mainframes, each running a paced measurement and storage programinternally, are connected to a PC using the IEEE 488 interface (HP-IB).The PC plays a supervisory and display role in this system. Itperiodically gathers the instruments accumulated data, organizes it intoa data base, and displays graphs and status tables for test operators toview the test progress. However, the actual measurement, control,timing, and data storage functions take place entirely within theindividual VXI mainframes through the use of internal HP InstrumentBASIC programs