Application of a Laboratory Analog-Digital Computer System to Data Acquisition and Reduction for Quantitative Analyses

A flexible, general purpose program for a laboratory data acquisition and reduction system employing a minicomputer for off-line processing of digitized data readings from electroanalytical instrumentation was developed. Instrument data from the on-line operation of a hard-wired analog-to-digital data acquisition subsystem in conjunction with an atomic absorption instrument, a colorimeter, or a pH/millivolt meter for speeific-ion electrode determinations, are transformed into concentration units by using a linear interpolation method. The relationship between instrument measurements and quantitative data is approximated by several straight-line segments between the graphical coordinates associated with each of the reference standards analyzed. The coordinates are determined by calibrating readings and known concentrations. Routines are included to edit incorrect raw readings and to make corrections to compensate for unavoidable deviations from standard analytical procedure. The FOCAL-8 language program, therefore, permits unattended processing of sequentially read paper tape input. The results punched on paper tape are easily transferred to a large computer for more sophisticated data analysis and storage.