Instrumentation: Emphasis on field: Microprocessor-based systems spawn built-in test gear

Discusses the need for more effective instruments to handle increasingly complex microprocessor-based data-processing equipment in the field. Manufacturers of equipment are under constant pressure to offer more serviceable products, because higher service costs are taking bigger bites out of profit margins for both manufacturers and users. As a result, instrument makers are churning out an array of such gear, using a variety of different techniques for troubleshooting.