"Jim Wilkins" writes:

"Richard Smith" wrote in message ...
...
I've programmed in Basic. Access to devices / ports - hadn't thought
about it being that convenient and tailor-made.

----------------------

I can't claim credit for the idea, it was the engineer's suggestion
when we (Unitrode / Texas Instruments) wanted to design and operate
evaluation boards for new user-configurable ICs from customers'
unmodified laboratory computers, which at the time were typically
former office desktops and laptops running Win98. We started with
Visual Basic but quickly found that it lacks the hardware control
instructions of QBasic, and Windows polls the printer port to detect
newly attached devices. DOS + QB give full read/write access to the
I/O address space, interrupted only to update the clock.

The only change to the computer was setting the BIOS to boot from a
DOS floppy if present, else to Windows. The same can be done with a
USB flash drive using HPUSBFW. FAT32 USB flash drives are big enough
to store programs and large data files without access to the NTFS
internal drive though older FAT32 hard drives could handle either DOS
or Windows, up through XP.
https://www.handheldgroup.com/knowle...ble-usb-drive/

The computer boots normally with the flash drive removed and you can
read any data log files the QB program created, such as cycle
intervals which might increase when the sample began to stretch, and
indicate the point of failure if you can't otherwise sense it.

I had previously assembled one-time computer to hardware interfaces
with added plug-in boards, a purchased digital I/O card and a 16 bit
A/D converter for the Macintosh that I designed. The printer port and
DOS/QB method turned out to be easier for relatively simple tasks. I'm
also very familiar with relay ladder logic controls if you choose to
go that way.

Do you have the equipment or machinist friends to consider custom
machining as part of solutions? I couldn't do nearly as much without
my lathe and milling machine.

Machining, making parts and equipment... My cider-maker / cider
supplier could feature in that... Can see a need to trade favours...


Digression into computing.
I often put "emacs" on a CD-ROM, take it by IT-support and invite them
to check it (fully up-to-date virus check software, etc, etc.)
If it's a write-once CD-ROM, it can't be altered ever again.
So if they trust that is all I will ever put in the drive of "my"
networked computer, that's sound in terms of IT security.

The reason for this is;
I have a range of suites of functions for various engineering
tasks which run in the test-processor I am using now - the famous /
well-known "emacs".
They will inject the answer straight into the document you are
writing. You can quote the function and the values you fed to it, and
the answer it gave. Complete record.
"sketching" your way to often high-value decisions.
Plus I do most other text-based thing in emacs.
For examples I didn't just type
"
Thermo-Mechanically Controlled-Processed High-Strength Low-Alloy
"
I typed tmcpqc hslaqc
When you are typing documents with huge strings of standard quotes of
Standards, Company Specifications, etc, that can save a huge amount of
time and effort, and leave your mind clear to think of the big
picture.
Boot off a CD-ROM? Could do?