Abstract
The transputer is useful not only as a parallel processing element, but also as an embedded controller. The paper describes a digital waveform generator based on the transputer. By executing a program written in a high-level language, a transputer aided by a single-chip counter generates complex digital signals with precise state times ranging from 200 ns to infinity in 50 ns increments. The duration of each output state is determined by data rather than by program execution speed: this simplifies programming. Repetition and concatenation of sequences of output states may also be encoded into data structures, which are interpreted by an invariant program. The transputer is controlled with a single serial link, and is easily integrated into a network of transputers or any system capable of communicating with a byte serial protocol. The control of focal plane arrays for astronomy is presented as a demonstration of the flexibility of the device. Fabrication cost, size and power consumption are greatly reduced relative to traditional bit-slice designs.
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