This chapter focuses on the data buses, which are used for design, development, and manufacturing of automatic test equipment. Over recent years a number of types of data bus have been used to create automatic test equipment; all of them having different features which suit different applications. In some cases manufacturers designed a data bus unique to their own instruments, consequently restricting users' choice of peripheral items. Inside any computer system there are several levels at which bus communications can occur. Considering, a range of systems, the main levels are: (1) between integrated circuits on a printed circuit board; (2) between printed circuit boards in an instrument; (3) between instruments; (4) between a controller and peripheral instruments; and (5) between separate systems, each with its own controller. There are many buses which have been used as the basis for automatic test equipment systems. Some of these are: V24/EIA232, EIA422/EIA423, EIA449, S100, multibus, PC expansion bus, STE, VMEbus, GPIB, and VXIbus and so on.
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