N U M B E R1 2
KI N ETICSYSTEMS CORPORATION LOCKPORT,IL
PDP-11BecomesEvenMore VersatileWhenInterfaced TOCAMAC Thereare over30,000PDP-11's in use, mostof them in processing and control applications. The CAMAC interface standard was developedfor similar applications,and a combination of thesetwo systemsproducespowerful, flexible configurationsusefulin industrial processcontrol, researchand development,and relatedfields.
JUL/AUG77
New Alphanumeric Display Driver Solves Monitoring Problems
Many GonfigurationsAre Fossible The3912 makesit possibleto assemble y s t e mi n a a C A M A CP D P - 1 1 / L S l - 1s 1 numberof ways: o The 3912 can control cratesconnecteddirectlyto the computer's bus.
The newModel3235 combinesa blackand-whitedisplaydriver with an interfacefor an input/outputdevicesuchas a keyboardor touch panel. Many addi t i o n a l f e a t u r e sa r e i n c l u d e d ,m a k i n g the 3235 an excellentmeansof data display.
r The 3912 can control standard CAMAC serialor branchsystems (up to 62 cratescan be accomm o d a t e di n t h i sf a s h i o n ) . o T h e 3 9 1 2 c a n b e t h e m a i nc r a t e controller in a crate where local p r o c e s s i ni g s h a n d l e db y a n a u x i Iiary,microprocessor-based crate gDP-11 c o n t r o l l e(rr e d u c i nP overh e a dl .
LSI-1 I wlth 3912 Crate Controller
New 3912 CrateControllerDoeslt The new 3912, which succeedsour popular3911CrateController,provides the link betweenCAMAC and the DEC PDP-11 family. lt includesfeatures which give it a wider rangeof applicationsthanthe 3911 but is compatible with softwareproducedfor the 3911. T h e3 9 1 2 i n t e r f a c etso a l l D E C P D P - 1 c o m p u t e r si n c l u d i n gt h e L S I - 11 . l t canfunctionasthe main controllerin a crateor asan auxiliarycratecontroller in a cratecontaininga 3952,3908 or another 3912 as the main controller.
This newsletter is published bi-monthly by KineticSystems Corporation 11 Maryknoll Drive Lockport, lllinois 60441 T e l e p h o n e : ( 8 1 5 18 3 8 0 0 0 5
o The 3912 can also be usedasan a u x i l i a r y c r a t e c o n t r o l l e ri n a distributed intelligencesystem. r Morethan one 3912 can be located in a crate where back-up processing is needed. o lf multiple 3912's are usedtogetherwith our 3821 RAM memory modulein a crate,communication between computers can be accomplished. o Through the use of a 3912, the 3821 Memory Modulecan be diby the computer rectlyaddressed as if it were a 4K word block of computer memory. Up to four 3821's can be used with each 3912. andvariationsof the conCombinations figurationsmentionedherecan be used to meet any imaginablerequirement. For addi tional information please check bx 1 on the reply card.
Features Ninety-sixunique charactersare provided(64standardASCIIand32 special c h a r a c t e r si n) a s i n g l eP R O M . P R O M ' s canbesuppliedwith customer-designed specialcharacters aswell. The screencan be rolled up or down one characterline at a time, and can alsobe erasedin a selectivefashion,all throughthe useof CAMAC commands. can be displayed Upto 2048 characters at once. Syncoutputsand"enhancement"comm a n d sm a k e i t p o s s i b l et o s t r i p i n a n imageon a portion of the screenwhen using the 3235 with a video insert mixer. Through the use of digital input and containedin the 3235, output registers our 5209 Touch PanelDisplayor 5230 Keyboard can be connecteddirectly to the 3235. In additionto access of the cursorregisterfrom the Dataway,the positionof the cursorcan be controlledby tracketc. ball,joystick,pushbuttons, Continued ttn following page
3235Continued
Versatife 3295 - 32gOl91 Combination SolvesTroubleshooting Headaches
The 3235 featuresprogrammable charactersizeas well as a bit that specifies Flash, Black-white Reverse,or Gray Background.
Many CAMAC usershave alreadyinvestedin our 3290 or 3291 Dataway Display modulesin order to monitor the operationof their CAMAC systems and havefound them to be very useful tools. However,a typical programperforms many CAMAC commands in rapid sequence.Troubleshootingsuch a systemcan be a major project;that's where the 3295 comes in handly. lt addsthe ability to selectivelydisplay commandinformationand datavia the useof front-panelswitches.Manyadditional featuresare also containedto
Applications Besidesbeing used as a full duplex terminal,it can be usedsimplyto continously display data that is being monitoredby a system. In this configuration,a 3235 can be programmedas a visualalarm through the useof large charactersize and the flash feature. Control consolesand/or monitorscan be centralizedin a main control room or distributed throughout a facility. The ability of the 3235 to interface directly with the 5209 Touch Panel Display makes data retrieval an extremelysimpleprocess; subroutines can be executedsimply by touching the appropriateplaceon the 5209'sscreen. Fo r additional informatio n please check bpx2 on the replv card.
H E N E S A i s n o l o n g e ro u r E u r o p e a n representative, and all direct customer contact is now being handledby our Genevastaff. MichelTorche recently spentseveralweeksin the UnitedStates to broadenhis knowledgeof the capab i l i t i e sa n da p p l i c a t i o nosf o u r C A M A C products. lf we can be of help, contact Michel or Paul Passerat Kinetic S y s t e m sI n t e r n a t i o n a l , 6C h e m i nd e T a v e r n a y , 1 2 lG 8 eneva. (022l. Telephone: 98 44 45 Telex: 28 9622
Upcomingnewsletters will featurethe following new productsand systems: r A powerfulstand-alone CAMAC s y s t e mt h a t u s e sB A S I C a n d a m i n i f l o p p yd i s k . This new systemsolvesa multitude of controland monitoring p r o b l e m s ,r a n g i n g f r o m s m a l l m o n i t o r i n gt a s k st o d i s t r i b u t e d processcontrol systems. o A s y s t e mt h a t a d d st h e f l e x i b i l i t y of CAMAC control and monitori n g t o y o u r G P I Bp r o g r a m m a b l e calculator. o A newjoystickinterface that adds three-dimensional controlto your process.
save hours in software/hardwaredebugg1ng.
New FacesIn Marketing "Welcome Back" to Rod Wischermannand his family who have recently returned to the U.S.A. from Geneva, S w i t z e r l a n d .R o d n o w l i v e si n B o l i n g b r o o kl,l l i n o i s ,w i t h his wife and daughter. Rod was the Technical Liaison between KSC and KSl, our Europeansubsidiary,for 18 months. He worked closely with the technicaland production staff there to assurethat our Europeancustomersreceivedthe highest quality productsand service. Some of his activitiesincludedtesting modules,programming,on-sitemaintenance of customers'systems,product demonstrations, exhibiting productsat trade shows,attendingCAMAC committee meetings,and assistingwith the daily administratioo n f K S l . R o d p r o v i d e di m m e d i a t er e s p o n s e to technical questionsand evenlearnedto speaka little French. Since KSI has becomea skilledand efficientoperation,Rod was assignednew duties at KSC,wherehe is responsible for the marketingof KSC productsand promotingCAMAC. In theseduties Rod replacesLowell Klaisnerwho has left KSCand is workingfor an aerospace companyon the westcoast. Matt Spransy,a recentgraduateof Wisconsin'sWaukesha County TechnicalInstitute, is the newestmember of our staff. Becausehe displayedan interestin salesand has a technical background,marketing has become his major activity. He hasbeenrapidly learningabout CAMAC and KSC productsand their applications.Our trainingprogram has Matt preparingfor sales"from the ground-up". He's b e e n p a r t i c i p a t i n gi n C A M A C s e m i n a r sa, s s e m b l i n ag n d testingmodules,writingapplicationliterature,and answering p h o n ei n q u i r i e s .W e t h i n k h e i s d o i n ga f i n e j o b a n d i s n o w re'adyto beginpromotingCAMAC. just Matt has movedto Lockport from Oconomoqoc,Wisconsin,with his wife and daughter.Matt'sfavoritepastimeis music. He hasrecordingand performing experience and playskeyboardinstrumentsin a localmusicalgroup. KSC Offers CAMAC Tutorial Wouldyou like to know moreabout the CAMAC standards and their applications? We can arrangeto presentour CAMAC Tutorial Seminarto your systemsdesignersand engineers. Check the appropiate box on the reply card. Need A Catalog? C o p i e so f o u r 1 9 7 7 c a t a l o ga r es t i l l a v a i l a b l e .l f y o u n e e d one please check the appropriate box on the reply card.
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FunctionsOf The 3295 The 3295 hasbinaryselectionswitches and funcfor slot number,subaddress, tion, as well as 3 switchesthat enable you to selectdifferent modes of compare. ComparatorlC's are contained i n t h e m o d u l et h a t c o m p a r et h e c u r r e n t command with that selectedbY the binary switchesallowingthe 3290 or 3291 to displaythe selectedcommand ( a n d d a t a . i f a p p l i c a b l e ) .E n a b l e / d i s ableswitchesare providedfor N, A, F, a n d D a t a b i t c o m p a r i s o n si n, c r e a s i n g t h e m o d u l e ' sf l e x i b i l i t y .T h e r ea r et e s t points locatedon the front panelfor 5 1. 5 2 , D a t a w a yB u s y s i g n a l sa, n d a g a t es i g n a lu s e f u li n t r i g g e r i n go s c i l l o scopes on selected Dataway cycles.
FunctionsOf The 3291 to the This module is the successor manY new time-proven3290 and has qdditionalcost. and usefuffealuresatno The 329'l containsa 24'bit Data Register and a 24-bit CommandRegister, F, A, the latterholdingbitsrepresenting N , X , O , C , Z , l , L , P 2a n d P l . T h e s e can be read,enablingsoftware registers testing of the integrity of a CAMAC crate. Severalmodes of operation are prov i d e dw h i c h d e t e r m i n et h e m a n n e ri n are loaded. These which the registers m o d e sa r e : 5 1 , f o r n o r m a l D a t a w a y m o n i t o r i n gN ; . S 1 ,i n w h i c ht h e d i s p l a y
isupdatedonly when the 3291 is being addressed;O'S1, which uPdatesthe d i s p l a yo n l y w h e n O = 1 ; D C W r i t ea n d DC Read (thesemodes are useful in clamped lines);and troubleshooting H O L D , w h i c h i n h i b i t st h e l o a d i n go f the registers. Whenall the featuresof thesetwo modu l e sa r ec o m b i n e da, p o w e r f u lC A M A C system monitoringandtroubleshooting i sr e a l i z e dT. h es a v i n gi n t i m e a l o n ew i l l payfor thesemodulesmany timesover. For additio nal info rmatio n p Iease check box3 on the reply card.
New CAMAC Module ExpandsGPIB Capabilities. . . And CAMAC'sToo! With the introduction of more and more diversifiedprocesscontrol and m o n i t o r i n gd e v i c e st ,h e v i r t u e so f g e n eralizedinterfacesystemsare becoming r e a d i l ya p p a r e n t . T h e G P I B w a s d e s i g n e dt o b e a g e n e r a l i z eidn t e r f a c e system and functions as such quite w e l l . O n e o f i t s l i m i t a t i o n sh, o w e v e r , path length isthat its total transmission , aking s h o u l dn o t e x c e e d2 0 m e t e r s m r e m o t em o n i t o r i n go f p o i n t sd i f f i c u l t . A l s o , o n l y1 5 G P I Bd e v i c ecsa nb e c o n n e c t e dt o a n y o n e b u s , l i m i t i n g t h e n u m b e ro f m o n i t o r i n gp o i n t s . O u r n e w 3 3 8 8 G P I B I n t e r f a c eM o d u l e s o l v e tsh e s ep r o b l e m s . What lt Does
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T h e 3 3 8 8 i n c l u d e as s t a t u sr e g i s t ear n d a L A M ( L o o k - A t - M e s) t a t u sr e g i s t e r , g r e a t l ys i m p l i f y i n gp r o g r a m m i n gT. h e s - b i tT A L K a n d L I S T E NG P I Ba d d r e s s is set bv a switchon the 3388 PCcard.
by usingthe 3388 Interfacewith up to 20 other modulesin the CAMAC crate, b y t h e G P I Bs y s t e mc o n t r o l controlled ler.
p o i n t sc a n n o w G P I B d a t aa c q u i s i t i o n great through by distances beseparated I n t h e p a s t ,c o n n e c t i n sg u c ht h i n g sa s What lt Can Do For You t h eu s eo f a C A M A Cs e r i ahl i g h w a ya, n d D V M ' s , c o u n t e r s ,a n d p r i n t e r st o a Sincethe 3388 providesa CAMAC-to- t h e s y s t e mc o n t r o l l e rn o l o n g e rn e e d s C A M A C s y s t e mo f t e n r e q u i r e ds p e c i a l G P I Bi n t e r f a c ey,o u r G P I Bi n s t r u m e n t s t o b e n e a rt h e d a t aa c q u i s i t i o p noints. m o d u l e sa n d e n g i n e e r i nogn a c a s e - b y to any computerfor connected may be casebasis. Now. the 3388 interfaces a CAMAC interfaceexists. You For adtlitional informatbn pleasecheck d s t r u m e n t s which t h e G P I Ba n di t s a s s o c i a t ei n C A M A C f l e x i b i l i t v o f t h e n o w a d d c a n bx 4 on the reply card. t o a C A M A Cc r a t e( C A M A Ca l s ob e i n g y o u r e x i s t i n gG P I B s Y s t e mo r u s e a n I E EE s t a n d a r d i z ei ndt e r f a c sev s t e m ) . t o s ith Your CAMAC G P I B i n s t r u m e n tw T h e3 3 8 8c a nf u n c t i o na sa C O N T R O L - s y s t e m . L E R . T A L K E R , a n d L I S T E N E Ra, s I n t h ec a s eo f e x i s t i n gC A M A Cs y s t e m s , d e s c r i b e di n I E E E S t a n d a r d4 8 8 , a n d n u m b e ro f 3 3 8 8 ' sc a n b e u s e di n a a c a na l s ob e s e tt o t h e C O N T R O L L E R c r a t e ,e a c h o n e h a v i n g1 5 ' i n s t r u m e n t I D L E s t a t es ot h a t i t c a nb e a T A L K E R c a p a b i l i t y .E x i s t i n gG P I Bs y s t e mcsa n c o n t a i n s o r L I S T E NE R i n a s y s t e mt h a t b e e x p a n d e db e y o n d 1 5 i n s t r u m e n t s a n o t h eC r ONTROLLER.
LAM EncoderSimplifies HandlingOf SerialSystem Interrupts oJ
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Serial Highwayshave made great distancesbetweencratesin CAMAC systems a reality. A SerialHighwaycan accommodate asmanyas62 crates,each containing a s e r i a cl r a t ec o n t r o l l e a r nd up to 23 moduleswith interruptcapab i l i t y . T h e n e e dt h e na r i s e tso h a v ea n orderly way of handling these interrupts. Our 3924 LAM Encoder includes many featuresto make LAMh a n d l i n ge a s y .
lf a Demandmessageis sent and the associatedLAM is not servicedwithin a predetermined time (selectable from 1 m s e ct o 1 s e ci n t h e 3 9 2 4 ) ,a H u n g Demand messageis sent, preventing the further generationof pendingDemand messages--except for additional HungDemandmessages--until the LAM is serviced. How lt Can Be Used B e s i d etsh e o b v i o u su s eo f s o r t i n go u t t h e m a n y i n t e r r u p t si n a l a r g es e r i a l system, the 3924 is useful in other a p p l i c a t i o nassw e l l . B e c a u steh e L A M ' s are brought into a connectormounted o n t h e r e a r p a n e lo f t h e m o d u l e ,t h e 3924 can be used to priority-encode any dala.
FunctionsOf The 3924 The 3924 priority-encodes the 24 L A M ' s i n a c r a t e i n t o a S - b i tn u m b e r suitablefor use by a Type L-2 Serial Crate Controller in generatinga Dem a n dm e s s a g el t. i n c l u d eas L A M m a s k registerwhich can be selectivelyset o r c l e a r e da n d h a s p r o v i s i o n sf o r a n internal LAM request. The 3924 featuresversatilecommandswhich perm i t t h e m o d u l et o a c c o m m o d a tsei m p l e or complexserviceroutines.
Autonomous controllers such as the 3909 or 3981 can operate in crates c o n t a i n i n sge r i acl r a t ec o n t r o l l e r sT . he 3924 can maskoff specificLAM's if it i s u n d e s i r a b lfeo r t h e m a i n c o m p u t e r to receiveDemandmessages generated by modulesthat are servicedby these controllers. For additbnal information please check bx 5 on the reply card.
CAMACInstrumentation And lnterfaceStandards The CAMAC standardsadopted by the Institute of Electricaland Electronic E n g i n e e r(sI E E E )a r e : r
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M o d u l a rI n s t r u m e n t a t i oann d D i g i t a lI n t e r f a c e S y s t e m( C A M A C ) I E E ES t d 5 8 3 - 1 9 7 5 r S e r i aH l i g h w a yI n t e r f a c S e y s t e m( C A M A C ) t E E ES t d 5 9 5 - 1 9 7 6 o ParallelHighwayInterfaceSystem(CAMAC) t E E ES t d 5 9 6 - 1 9 7 6 r BlockTransfersin CAMAC Systems t E E ES t d 6 8 3 - 1 9 7 6 The four cAMAc Standardsare availablefrom Kineticsystems corporation in a singfe hard-boundvolume (SHO6437Ifor $19.95 or as separatebooklets for ,_J $10.00 each. The cAMAc standardscan also be obtainedfrom the Instituteof E l e c t r i c aal n d E l e c t r o n i cE n g i n e e r Isn, c . , 3 4 5E a s t4 7 S t . , N e w y o r k , N . y . 1 0 0 1 7 . In Europecontactthe Officefor Off icialPublications of the EuropeanCommunities. Luxembourg,P.O.Box 1003.