The Fluke 1722A instrument controller is a microcomputer designed for control of automated instrument systems in the laboratory, the plant, or the factory and for information management systems. The 16-bit miroprocessor uses a 24 MHz clock to achieve an instrument cycle rate of 6 MHz. High-speed floating point arithmetic processing is implemented through extensions to the microprocessor instrument set. A separate display processor, with high speed vector generator and graphics memory work space, functions as an independent graphics display terminal for the central processor.
RAM memory in the 1722A can be partially allocated as a file-structured electronic disk, for high speed task overlays and large, fast-access virtual data arrays.
The 1722A includes five slots for additional memory and interface options. The standard 136 KB RAM memory is internally expandable to over 3 MB. The internal hard disk drive provides an additional 40 MB of online storage. The 1765B Series of Winchester disk drives (two models) provides 20 MB of file storage. Up to 5 MB of NVRAM options can be installed for permanent file storage.
The graphics touchscreen display of the 1722A takes the place of the keyboard, and offers access to the software that keeps the system running. The predictability of the procedure, which prompts the operator one step at a time for information or decisions, allows true trend analysis to be performed, pinpointing common failure modes or process impediments. The graphics display capability of the 1722A is independent of its character display, and of the central processor. The 64K display workspace is three times the size of the 640 x 224 pixel display window: 2048 x 256 pixels. It can be used to display data in strip chart form, and move the display across the window by touch commands. It can be used to prepare up to three independent data screens available for instant display. The 1722A character display is an independent function that can overlay graphics data display for labels, or be used alone for test and for programming. Screens can be prepared "off-line" and displayed when ready. ANSI-compatible character attributes are available to add emphasis to portions of displays. The 1722A includes an industry standard composite video output that will display whatever is on the screen on a video monitor.
The 1722A includes a GPIB/IEEE-488 bus interface port and an RS-232-C serial port. The GPIB interface can control up to 14 instruments at transfer rates of up to 30KB per second. Three of the five expansion slots are available for additional interfaces. Option 17XXA-008 adds an additional GPIB interface and an additional RS-232-C serial data port. The 1722A can accomodate up to four GPIB ports. Option 17XXA-009 is a reconfigurable, dual serial port with its own buffer memory. It is supplied configured for RS-232-C with full modem compati bility. Each port can be easily reconfiured for a 20 mA current loop, or for RS-422 balanced lines. Up to three -009s may be installed for a total system of seven serial ports. Option 17XXA-002 is a parallel interface that provides two independent 16-bit parallel I/O ports. They can function as independent lines, 8-bit bytes, or 16 or 32-bit words. A maximum of three modules can be installed for a total of six 16-bit ports.