Versatile data-acquisition system based on the Commodore C-64/C-128 microcomputer

Abstract

A low-cost multichannel data-acquisition system based on the Commodore C-64 or the C-128 microcomputer is described. The hardware supports up to 16 input channels at 13-bit resolution. The sampling rate of the analog-to-digital converter is 25/s. Features of the supporting software include both numeric and multicolor graphic screen output, printer output with user’s comments, and disk storage of the digitized signals. The graphic display has a 320×200-pixel grid and can be displayed in 16 colors. Input readings may be scheduled using the internal computer clock for data collection over an extended period. Easy construction using low-cost components makes this an attractive laboratory data-acquisition system.