Re: Name The Book

[Rick Tarara <rtarara@SAINTMARYS.EDU>]

My advice is not to reinvent the wheel here.  A number of companies
(Vernier, Pasco, Tel-
Atomic, etc.) have interfaces and detectors designed for the PC/Mac.  I
would venture to guess that each has a storeroom somewhere with lots of
'older' versions of this equipment that were originally designed to run on
these old platforms that you might pick up at low cost.  It is certainly
worth a try.

Rick Tarara

***********************
Richard W. Tarara
Associate Professor of Physics
Department of Chemistry & Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN 46556
rtarara@saintmarys.edu

Free Physics Instructional Software:

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****************************
-----Original Message-----
From: Dayton Lab <dayton@ERIENET.NET>
To: PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU <PHYS-L@LISTS.NAU.EDU>
Date: Tuesday, January 19, 1999 9:09 AM
Subject: Name The Book


> Knowing that you folks in physics are among the best in terms of gadgets
> and gismos I come with hat in hand (I'm a biologist) seeking help and
> advice. We have a pile of old 8086's, 286's etc that we'd like to put to
> good use (boat anchors excluded) as sensors for light, heat, relative
> humidity as well as more novel applications. I'm in the reading stage
> now and would like your opinion as to the one book (readable by a
> biologist) that 1) Describes the architecture of these early computers
> 2) Deals practically with how to construct useful devices using the game
> port, parallel port etc.
>
> Second question - are you physics teachers aware of the books by the
> Canadian Bill Davies published  by WERD Technology Richmond Hill Ontario
> on various project building subjects. These are real nuts and bolts type
> stuff the best I've seen in many a year. As far as I can tell he's
> published two of a proposed set of seven or eight. The first dealt with
> robotics, the second motors with others promised. I have tried their
> e-mail address (no response) and web site (errored out). Others planned
> include optical devices,pneumatics,computer interfacing. I'd appreciate
> hearing if others in the series have been published. These are books you
> folks in physics would DEFINITELY want.
>
> Keep up your important!
>
> David J. Gerrick
> Economic Botanist
> Dayton Lab
> Lorain OH 44055