Considerations in Selecting a Small Computer for the Hydraulics Lab

This paper discusses the factors and features that must be considered for the proper selection of a small (personal) computer used for data acquisition and control in a hydraulics lab. The available choices on the market are varied, complex and sometimes well suited to the application; sometimes they are not. Proper selection will help insure that the equipment used will provide the benefits intended and not produce frustration and poor results. The areas of consideration discussed in this paper include signal I/O types, capacity and speed, memory, processing power, peripheral devices, electrical and mechanical constraints, and most complex and important, the software (operating system, language and applications).