F100-L control system

Robots in Britain According to a British Robot Association survey, 371 robot systems are operational in the UK. This puts the UK sixth in the world league (Japan is top with 6000) but with the highest growth rate (an estimated 40-50 per cent a year). Fifth in the table Italy, however, has its 400 robots mostly in just three companies: Fiat, Olivetti and Alfa-Romeo. UK has installations of twos and threes on trial and many large orders are imminent. (British

Robot Association, 35-39 High Street, Kempston, Bedford MK42 7B 7-, UK. Tel: (0234) 853605. Telex: 825489)

FIOO-L control system Ultra Electronic controls have chosen the Ferranti F ] 00-L microprocessor for a new electronic programmable engine control system. UEL have developed the control system as a replacement for the magnetic amplifier speed and temperature limiters. The advantage of using a microprocessor limiter is its capacity to withstand the full military temperature range (-55°C to +125°C), power dissipation, vibration, shock and nuclear radiation. Results on diesel engines and transmission systems so far indicate that the controller could significantly reduce emission levels and improve fuel consumption.

polyFORTH available for EXORset Forth Inc. announces the availability of polyFORTH for the Motorola EXORset 30 microcomputer. The polyFORTH operating system and multilevel language has previously been available for the 6800 and 6809 processors on the Motorola EXORcisor development system,

vol 5 no 3 april 1981

as well as systems made by Intel, DEC and others. The EXORset version of polyFORTH (pF6809/30)includes a screen editor in addition to the standard polyFORTH multiprogrammed operating system, assembler, interpreters and FORTH language compiler. A special CAI course for novice FORTH programmers is included on a separate floppy. The list price for polyFORTH is $4750. Options include two dimensional graphics, a maths package based on fixed-point fraction arithmetic and file management. An extensive line of application packages for general laboratory use is planned for second quarter deliveries. Computer Solutions, the UK sole agents for Forth, are going on the road with half-day free seminars on polyFORTH. Locations and dates in the UK are: Birmingham, 9 April; Southampton, 30 April; Reading,

7 May; London, 14 May. (Computer Solutions Ltd, 87 Briar Road, Shepperton, Middx TWI 70JB, UK. Te/: (09328) 64543)

B L C 8 0 from SwiftSasco Swift-Sasco carry extensive stocks of National Semiconductors' BLC80 series, a family of boards based on the 8080, 8085 and Z80 microprocessors. The BLC80 provides a full secondsource for Intel iSBC80 and includes ten CPU configurations, ROM/PROM and RAM boards, memory extension and I/O boards, analogue input and output, card cages and power supply modules. Also supplied are prototyping packages in sizes up to the development system (Tel: (0293) 28700, UK)

New specifications for ten Texas PROMs Texas Instruments have announced new programming specifications for ten bipolar PROMs. These revisions are designed to increase the quality of programming yields. Specific devices affected by the

change are: SN74S188 N,J (TBP 18SA030); SN74S288 N,J (TBP 18S030); SN74S287 N,J (TBP 14SI0); SN74S387 N,J (TBP 14SAI0); SN74S470 N,J (TBP 18SA22); SN74S471 N,J (TBP 18S22); SN74S472 N,J (TBP 18S42); SN74S473 N,J (TBP 18SA42); SN74S474 N,J (TBP 18S46); SN74S475 N,J (TBP 18SA46). Telephone (0234) 223000 (UK) for further details of these changes, which apply to the supply votage and the programming pulses.

Extensive reliability programme by Zilog A reliability prediction model, which takes into account device complexity, junction temperature estimates, voltage derating stress factor, package complexity and quality factor, has been developed by the Reliability Analysis Centre of the USAF Rome Air Development Centre (RADC). The model has been used to show that the Z8000 has a lower predicted failure rate than any other 16-bit processor, 13 per cent below that of its nearest rival, according to Zilog. As of September 1980, a total of 110 Z8000 devices from five lots underwent 2 256 000 equivalent device hours of operating life tests at an ambient temperature of +125 °C, with no failures reported. Since implementing a full scale high reliability programme in early 1980, Zilog has: • introduced full MIL-STD-883 Class B versions of the Z80 CPU, its peripheral devices and the Z8000 CPU • cooperated with the Defense Electronics Supply Centre (DESC) and RADC in releasing the slash sheet for the Z80 (2.5 MHz), Z80A (4.0 MHz) and Z80B (6.0 MHz), allowing these devices to be used in military applications • signed an agreement licensing USAF, Air Force Systems Command, Armament Division to use the Z8000 instruction set in defence systems

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