Data Acquisition

Pager cards are used in offices and factories on portable PCs to allow the user to receiveor transmit messages to either a central location in the office or around the world. Thisfeature can be included with other functions and increases the versatility of personal andbusiness communications.The local area network market is one of the fastest growing electronic markets. PC Cardsthat include Ethernet or token ring devices on the card are very popular. The newest PCCard is the wireless LAN that can remotely connect to a network at distances of 300 to500 meters without a repeater. These PC Cards function as modems, faxes, and LANs allon the same card. 10 BASE 2, 10 BASE T, 100 BASE T, token ring and wireless Ethernetare just some of the local area networks that are available on PC Cards.There are three types of modems available on the market, 14.4 K bps, 28.8 K bps, andISDN in the PC Card format. The 14.4 K bps model is the cheapest and some wouldargue that this is enough for current communications. However, those with vision and alocal web server find that 28.8K bps works best for them. ISDN technology is growingdaily and will soon be available in all areas. ISDN provides a large increase in speed overstandard telephone lines. Most PC Card modems now come with FAX capabilities. Somecards can also be plugged into a cellular telephone. The cable for connecting to thecellular phone is ordered after the modem is purchased from the PC Card manufacturerbecause there are many different types of mobile phones. The main features to look for ina PC Card modem are speed, which countries it can be used in, and the durability of thecable connection.As of this writing, manufacturers of digital cellular telephones are developing a PC Cardtelephone. This will give the user total portable communications anywhere in the world.Features of this card could include modem, fax, voice mail and voice communications.The data acquisition market has also increased tremendously in the last few years. Manymanufacturers have transferred their products from standard plug-in cards to PC Cards.With the advent of the PC Card standard, it’s now possible to purchase a multi-functionDAQ card that completely replaces the standard plug-in card. The cost has been comingdown and now it is often cheaper to buy PC Cards than full-size cards. Almost all DAQcards are now available in the PC Card format. DAQ PC Cards include analog to digitalconverters, digital input and output, counter timers, digital to analog converters and 488GPIB systems.Some manufacturers are producing dedicated devices on PC Cards. One such device isthe digital multimeter. The PC Card voltmeter has fixed wires on one end that the user