Background

Scientific instrumentation, that requires operator control, is typically configured with a PC and an embedded control system (contained within the instrument). This configuration requires application software to be installed on the PC for issuing user commands and displaying the collected measurements. Additional custom software drivers are required to be able to communicate with the Instrument. Embedded software is installed in the instrument itself to able communication with the PC.

Limitations

A drawback to this traditional setup is that the software needed to run the system is not localized. A major portion of the software is contained on an external PC and is associated with all the dependencies of that specific machine. Changes to the embedded software brought about by a manufacturing change to the instrument will usually call for a change in the software running on the PC. Software upgrades can quickly become time consuming when factoring in the number of units already in the field, their various platform dependences, and the process involved to perform the upgrade.

Introducing sciClops

The sciClops project is an effort to create a on-board instrumentation controller that centralizes the operation of the instrument, the collection of empirical data, and the presentation of that data. All equipment operator communications to the controller will be performed via a Web Browser.[[BR]]
An additional benefit to such a configuration is that the system will inherently promote remote laboratory testing, and time sharing of equipment.

The System Implementation

The controller will be implemented using a Single Board Computer (SBC) that runs Linux and the web server Apache. The system is a TS-7200 that runs TS-Linux. The SBC come pre-installed with a stripped down version of Linux and is already configured to run the HTTP daemon, Apache. Web applications will be developed using Ruby on Rails and AJAX.

Expectations

The goal for this next week is to get the system up and running by using the manufacturing instructions.

Results

Over the past week the system was connect and Linux was able to be booted on the embedded board. The console was accessed via HyperTerminal on a desktop. The network configuration was also setup for Apache and the board was working as a web server. After navigating to the /www/apache/htdocs/ folder, the index.html file was altered with meta tags that would re-direct any client to the Scimatic Software Homepage.