2 research outputs found
Microcomputer Based Simulation
Digital simulation is a useful tool in many scientific areas.
Interactive simulation can provide the user with a better appreciation
of a problem area. With the introduction of large scale integrated
circuits and in particular the advent of the microprocessor, a large
amount of computing power is available at low cost. The aim of
this project therefore was to investigate the feasibility of producing
a minimum cost, easy to use, interactive digital simulation system.
A hardware microcomputer system was constructed to test simulation
program concepts and an interactive program was designed and developed
for this system. By the use of a set of commands and subsequent
interactive dialogue, the program allows the user to enter and perform
simulation tasks. The simulation program is unusual in that it does
not require a sophisticated operating system or other system programs
such as compilers. The program does not require any backup memory
devices such as magnetic disc or tape and indeed could be stored in
ROM or EPROM. The program is designed to be flexible and extendable
and could be easily modified to run with a variety of hardware configurations.
The highly interactive nature of the system means that
its operation requires very little programming experience.
The microcomputer hardware system uses two microprocessors
together with specially designed interfaces. One was dedicated to
the implementation of the simulation equations, and the other
provided an input/output capability including a low cost CRT display