The Digital Instrumentation Node: An Alternative to CAMAC

During the development of a computer network for diverse real-time applications in physics and chemistry, a system was designed and developed to provide interfacing of instruments to each other as well as to a computer, and also to facilitate utilization of advanced solid state electronics in custom instruments. The result is a well-documented interfacing system with features and capabilities which are of growing importance in scientific and process instrumentation. This paper focuses attention on the distinctive features of the new system, features which are not usually available in CAMAC. These include the use of decentralized control, the addressing scheme, the monitor and control capabilities, the fast cycle time, and the simplicity of using the system.