International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 23-26, 2000 / Town & Country Hotel and Conference Center, San Diego, California / The strip-chart recorder has evolved from a simple pen-writing instrument to an instrumentation platform. Today's Telemetry Recording Workstations not only provide a permanent hard copy of telemetry data, but also offer high resolution videographic displays with real-time point-of-writing representation, the ability to efficiently store data digitally, and customizable user interfaces. Host control and digital data transfer can be achieved using Ethernet networks, making the instrument an integral part of a telemetry system. The Telemetry Recording Workstation is a fundamental instrument for any telemetry application or installation, due to its abilities to display, print and store real-time data.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 20-23, 2003 / Riviera Hotel and Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Telemetry recorders have historically been used as standalone systems with each user responsible for operation and data interpretation on that system. Utilizing the latest peerto- peer networking technologies, telemetry recorders can now be linked to provide instantaneous communication between systems. This fully distributed, network-based architecture can be used for command and control of multiple recorders, as well as message passing between them. A centralized server is no longer required, resulting in considerable logistical and cost savings. The peer-to-peer communication topology can efficiently connect telemetry recorder “islands of information”.

ITC/USA 2007 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Third Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 22-25, 2007 / Riviera Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Migrating analog architectures and equipments to network architectures is underway all across the globe. There is no doubt, a modern instrument must fit the network environment or simply will not be procured. Yet, funding constraints temper wholesale changes to net-centric technologies. The last analog stronghold in our data center is the oscillograph. Over 50 Gould TA 6000 Oscillographs reside at White Sands Missile Range. These are digital implementations of analog recorders, hence require analog signaling. Digital telemetry data (most common format) must be converted to analog to drive an oscillograph that converts analog back to digital to plot the data. The oscillograph’s interface board may be “hacked” by removing the Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) gaining direct access to the digital signal path. This idea was worth attempting as the prospect of replacing that many recorders with the newer network driven oscillographs is costly hence remote. This paper’s topic is the conversion of the hardware and a discussion on software issues. Though not pretty, it does preserve the large recorder investment for the time being. Issues with analog signaling, such as noise, drift and ground loops are gone. A commercial ethernet to digital adapter drives the new digital interface and transforms the recorder into an net-centric instrument.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 17-20, 1988 / Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada / Mission safety and cost-efficiency concerns have resulted in a resurgence of interest in real-time strip chart recorders. But conventional recorder technologies require inordinate maintenance and daily calibration. Attempts at strip chart emulation involving costly dedicated microcomputers and CRT's have failed, because the chart itself is not real-time, a basic requirement. The concept of an inexpensive, direct digital link to a telemetry processing computer (VAX, e.g.) is discussed. A thorough examination of real-time monitoring of critical, non-repeatable data is presented. Objectives: An automated, turn-key telemetry data system. Reduce the routine maintenance required by conventional recording systems; eliminate the need for digital-to-analog converters (DAC's); and improve the efficiency of range personnel and the integrity of recorded data.

ITC/USA 2009 Conference Proceedings / The Forty-Fifth Annual International Telemetering Conference and Technical Exhibition / October 26-29, 2009 / Riviera Hotel & Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nevada / Telemetry data recorders are not immune to the effects that a number of disruptive technologies have had on the telemetry industry. Data recorder designs today make use of data buses, storage types and graphical user interfaces that are constantly evolving based on the advances of personal computer and consumer electronics technologies. Many of these recorders use embedded designs that integrate disruptive technologies such as PCI Express for realtime data and signal processing, SATA interfaces for data storage and touchscreen technologies to provide an intuitive operator interface. Solid state drives also play a larger role in the latest recorder designs. This paper will explore the effects of these technologies on the latest telemetry recorders in terms of the benefits to the users, cost of implementation, obsolescence management, and integration considerations. The implications of early adoption of disruptive technologies will also be reviewed.