V/F Board; Front Panel - Teledyne 6400A Instruction Manual

TAI Model 6400A SO
The 6400A is a true computer based instrument. The microprocessor does most of the instrument
control functions such as temperature control, valve switching. Data collection and processing are
done entirely by the CPU with the final concentration values being sent to a D/A converter to
produce the instrument analog output.
The computer memory is divided into 3 sections: EPROM memory contains the multi-tasking
operating system code plus the instructions that run the instrument. The RAM memory is used to
hold temporary variables and current concentration data. The EEPROM memory contains the
instrument set-up variables such as range and instrument ID number. The EEPROM data is non-
volatile so the instrument can lose power and the current set-up information is preserved.

4.2.4 V/F Board

Computer communication is done via 2 major hardware assemblies. These are the V/F board and
the front panel display/keyboard.
The V/F board is multifunctional, consisting of A/D input channels, digital I/O channels, and analog
output channels. Communication with the computer is via a STD bus interface. The computer
receives all of the instrument data and provides all control functions through the V/F board.

4.2.5 Front Panel

The front panel of the 6400A is shown in Figure 2-4. The front panel consists of a 2 line display and
keyboard, 3 status LED's and power switch. Communication with the display, keyboard, and status
LED's is done via the computer's on-board parallel port. The 6400A was designed as a computer
controlled instrument, therefore all major operations can be controlled from the front panel display
and keyboard.
The display consists of 2 lines of 40 characters each (see Figure 4-2). The top line is divided into 3
fields, and displays information. The first field is the mode field.
Analyzer Operator Manual, 02164, Rev. G
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