Download Using the Experimenter - Fascinating Electronics

Chapter 0: Introduction
voltages, counting pulses and measuring signal timing, providing many high
current drivers for DC and stepping motor control, lots of digital I/O for
controlling logic devices, and even a high current relay. And we priced it to be
affordable for schools, hobbyists, and even industrial control engineers (it makes
life easier even for those who have engineering degrees). We call it the
Experimenter.
If you want to do something real with your computer, we have developed
some fascinating applications for the Experimenter. Here you will find a chapter
on an Ultrasonic RADAR (Application A), and a magnificent computerized
meteorological station (Application B). If you are creating your own computerized gadget, the Experimenter gives you a great head start. The autonomous
robot (Application C) was created by a team of high school students. Perseverance, research, and a significant head start from the Experimenter enabled them
to build a very sophisticated robot.
Today around the world, in university labs and in the field, Experimenters
are taking data. In factories Experimenters control industrial processes. In
private homes and at professional sites Experimenters are monitoring the
weather. At least one film studio is using Experimenters to control special
effects.
This book will explain the Experimenter to you—how it works, how to
connect it to your computer, the powerful commands it performs. You will learn
how to make time and voltage measurements (necessary for many types of
sensors). You’ll learn how to control motors, both ordinary DC motors and
stepping motors. How to output and read logic signals and how to flip the relay.
The Experimenter is like a “Swiss Army Knife” with many tools in one compact
package.
Ron
—Ronald M. Jackson
Chief Engineer
P.S. If you develop a nifty gadget that other Experimenter users may like
to build, please let us know. We can all benefit by sharing information. You can
send any comments you may have about the Experimenter directly to me at
Fascinating Electronics Inc. And especially let me know if there is any way we
can make the Experimenter more useful to you! Please email me at:
[email protected]
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