Practical Use of a Minicomputer for Stress Laboratory Testing

In recent years, the development of digital signal processing hardware and software has advanced to the point where problem solving capability in the test laboratory can be enhanced tremendously with a minimal investment. Due to the complexity of the market place for such equipment, and seemingly naive potential customers for such equipment, there is a danger for improper equipment to be purchased. Many salesmen are not sufficiently knowledgeable in application technology and may inadvertently mislead the customer. The paper describes some of the more important aspects to consider before purchase of such equipment and further deals with some basic concepts in both hardware and software for general stress laboratory testing.