Electronic Portable Instruments: Design and Applications

With the availability of advanced technologies, digital systems, and communications, portable instruments are rapidly evolving from simple, stand alone, low-accuracy measuring instruments to complex multifunctional, network integrated, high-performance digital devices with advanced interface capabilities. The relatively brief treatments these instruments receive in many books are no longer adequate. Designers, engineers and scientists need a comprehensive reference dedicated to electronic portable instruments that explains the state-of-art and future directions. Electronic Portable Instruments: Design and Applications introduces the basic measurement and instrumentation concepts, describes the operating principles, and discusses the typical specifications of three main groups of portable instruments: The author discusses sensors suitable for these instruments, addresses how components are selected, and clearly shows that instrument design centers on trade-offs between costs, performance, size and weight, power consumption, interface options, ruggedness, and the ability to operate in a range of environments. A multitude of tables, formulae, and figures--many in full color--enhance the presentation. Numerous examples of applications demonstrate the current diversity of these devices and point the way to future trends in development and applications.