A Data Acquisition System based upon a Single-board Microcomputer

단일보드 마이크로 컴퓨터를 이용한 자료(資料) 수집장치(蒐集裝置)

A data acquisition system was designed to measure the forces on a rolling coulter in three coordinated directions, angular velocity of the coulter and travel speed of a soil bin. The data acquisition system consisted of a dynamometer, speed transducers, a signal conditioner, an inter-face board, an Aim-65 microcomputer and a digital data recorder. Strain gages were attached on the surface of the dynamometer and connected to form three Wheatstone bridges, which measure the draft force, the vertical force and the side force on the coulter. An interaction among three dimensional forces was found during the calibration. A matrix procedure was used to correct the forces for this interaction. Rotary shaft encoders were mounted on the coulter and on the soil bin drive to measure the angular velocity of the coulter and the travel speed of the soil bin. The angular velocity and the travel speed were computed by counting the number of pulse signals from the rotary shaft encoders every 0.2 second. The digital signals from the rotary shaft encoders were connected to counters and the analog signals from the dynamometer, after passing through the signal conditioner, were connected to the A/D converter. The microcomputer programs, written in assembly language, were developed to read signals from the transducers, convert them to actual unit, display them upon request and record them on a sigital tape every 0.2 second.