User`s guide

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Chapter 3 System Overview
Data Acquisition System Overview
3
The floating section contains the main system processor and controls all
of the basic functionality of the instrument. This is where the instrument
communicates with the plug-in modules, scans the keyboard, controls
the front-panel display, and controls the internal DMM. The floating
section also performs Mx+B scaling, monitors alarm conditions, converts
transducer measurements to engineering units, time stamps scanned
measurements, and stores data in non-volatile memory.
Plug-In Modules
The 34970A/34972A offers a complete selection of plug-in modules to give
you high-quality measurement, switching, and control capabilities. The
plug-in modules communicate with the floating logic via the internal
isolated digital bus. The multiplexer modules also connect to the internal
DMM via the internal analog bus. Each module has its own
microprocessor to offload the mainframe processor and minimize
backplane communications for faster throughput. The table below shows
some common uses for each plug-in module.
For more information on each module, refer to the module sections in
chapter 4, starting on page 200.
34970A Refresh UG.book Page 65 Wednesday, February 17, 2010 12:34 PM