The NIH Bio-Technology Unit (Pilot Plant) has various instrumentation needs that have not been previously addressed and is using some cumbersome techniques and/or outdated equipment. This project has been concerned with satisfying these instrumentation needs using modern equipment and low-cost desktop size personal computers (PCs). Several PCs have begun acquired and have been installed to supply a variety of services, including process control, data acquisition, data analysis, and administrative functions. The instrumentation and process control functions use commercial equipment, as much as possible, and are interfaced using standard I/O connections, such as the IEEE-488 GPIB and the RS-232 Serial I/O ports as well as using direct digital and analog I/O components in the desktop computer. Using these techniques allows changes in the parameters measured or controlled to be accomplished relatively quickly and easily. Utilizing the computational capabilities of the computer/controller allows initial selection of the operating parameters and dynamic alteration of these parameters as the process continues, thus allowing optimization of yields or detailed study of the process parameters.
