A to D for the Mac

[Howard@quercus.demon.co.uk]

I can perhaps expand a bit on A-D potential for the Mac.

We have developed (sadly not in MCL yet) for National Instruments A-D
boards.  Their high-quality 16-channel NuBus version is the MIO-16, which
comes in variants with slightly different performance characteristics, and
they have a multiplexer to get a single MIO-16 to support 64 analog input
channels.  It is highly configurable, and versatile.  National Instruments
have local subsidiaries and representation through much of the known
universe, including I believe Belgium (try the Yellow Pages?).  MIO-16
boards typically run at around \pounds 1200 or so.

Most National Instruments boards are programmed using LabView, their
stunning visual programming language which is not unlike Prograph. 
However, from personal experience, it is perfect for putting together
'virtual instruments' quickly, but for large and complicated projects gets
rather tricky.  It has many built-in features to support signal processing,
and access to external compiled C extensions (which we have also
developed).  LabView costs towards \pounds 3000, though, for the developers
version, with runtime versions available around the \pounds 400 mark.

National Instruments also provide good driver-level and compiled-language
(THINK and MPW) access to their products, which is to a certain extent
free, and more sophisticated libraries are around the \pounds 400 mark.  I
would see no problem in someone competent with an MPW language and the FF
for MCL putting together a nice class library for MCL access.  Because the
boards have buffers and can perform programmed acquisition, it should be no
problem getting even fairly rapid sampling rates and sophisticated
processing through MCL, if properly handled.

We would of course be delighted to provide any help that we can, having
done almost everything *except* produce said class library!

Howard.
Howard Oakley,                      * Howard@quercus.demon.co.uk
EHN & DIJ Oakley, Brooklands Lodge, * AppleLink UK0392
Park View Close, Wroxall, Ventnor,  * CompuServe 70734,120
Isle of Wight UK PO38 3EQ           * Tel +44 983 853605, fax 853253