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Microprocessor-Based Closed-Loop Motor Control. A dedicated microprocessor control system was built from chip level using the Motorola M6800 family. The system has a keyboard and the interfaces for four LED displays, a phototransistor and a digital-to-analog converter. The system accepts key input in RPM and drives the motor at the input RPM with display of the real RPM updated approximately every second.

The phenomenal growth in the community of computer users has focused attention on single user microcomputers as a means of alleviating overcrowding on multi-user mainframes. This thesis concerns the development of a microcomputer· for the Virginia Tech Computer Engineering Laboratory. The primary objective was to upgrade the presently used monitor level microprocessor stations to full fledged microcomputers with a comprehensive operating system. As a part of the overall study, dynamic RAM system design using VLSI controllers was investigated. A comparison of two popular controllers is presented. Another aspect investigated is floppy disk control strategies. A comprehensive analysis of various schemes is provided. A conclusion based on applicability and performance of the microcomputer developed is drawn and suggestions to further enhance its utility are made. / M. S.

Even with the performance of microprocessors expected to double within the next three to five years, the processing power increase offered by parallel processing has made multiprocessor systems very cost-effective. Each module in the multiprocessor systems will typically include a processor, coprocessor, cache, and main memory. This kind of architecture has generated the system-on-aboard distributed-intelligence concept, and the 32-bit multimaster buses thus come into play since these high-performance systems need to communicate with each other. During communication, commands and large blocks of data are transmitted across the bus. Along with the multiprocessor system, the single-CPU system continues to need a fast bus and wide data path to serve as a common I/O interface for terminals, disk storage devices, communication, and memory boards. With the board size limited, the trend toward distributed intelligence increases the need to place more functions on a single board, and therefore bus interface unit (BIU) integrated circuits (ICs) play an important role in the design of new boards. Spaceborn systems must be fault-tolerant due to their high susceptibility to transient faults and the high costs of repair and maintenance. Hence, a gate array fault-tolerant bus-interface IC based on modified NuBus protocols is designed to meet these requirements. The gate array IC design system HIGHLAND from United Technologies Microelectronics Center is used, along with other CAD tools such as the Berkeley VLSI Tool Set and LOGEN to generate a layout for the BIU. Two programs are written to interface the necessary CAD tools. All the circuits are designed and simulated on a VAXstation 3200 (Ultrix-32) and VAX11/785 (VMS). / Master of Science

This study was conducted to examine the use of microcomputers and other computers by top administrators in the twenty—seven public colleges and universities in Oklahoma; to assess the impact that training and other factors have on the extent to which microcomputers are being used; and to identify trends in administrative computer usage. The survey technique was utilized in collecting the data for this study. The survey instrument was developed for use in this study from a review of the literature, an evaluation by a panel of judges, and a pilot study. The survey instrument was sent to the administrators for business, academic, and student affairs via the president of each university in the 1986 spring and summer semesters. Seventy-four of the eighty-one or 91.4 percent of the administrators responded. Following is a summary of the major findings of this study. 1. Fourteen of the seventy-four or 18.9 percent of the respondents personally use a microcomputer and 51.3 percent of the respondents have someone use a microcomputer on their behalf. 2. The most prevalent use of microcomputers is word processing; the most prevalent uses of mainframes are word processing and database management; and the majority of the respondents do not use a computer for spreadsheets, graphics, database management, telecommunications, and time management functions. Computer functions rated highly important are word processing, spreadsheets, and database management. 3. Administrators feel they need more training in the use of computers. 4. Conditions affecting the use of microcomputers are an established process for evaluating software, funding for maintenance, and practice time. 5. Age is negatively correlated to the personal use of microcomputers. 6. Administrators believe that in the near future, the use of microcomputers will increase, the use of mainframes will remain about the same, and the number of jobs done without computers will decrease.