I am not sure which group to post this to, but I figured
I would try here first...because the software will be Visual
Basic...it's the hardware I haven't got a clue about, and I
was hoping someone could steer me in the right direction.

I am designing a project that graphs real time sensor
output from a system.

I would use aftermarket data aquisition boards except
I don't need all the extra functionality, and this project
is for a laptop...(Just a RS232 will due)

The sensor output would be either millivolts,
milliamps (4 - 20mA), or volts (0-4.5) fed into an
A/D converter...That's the extent of my knowledge...

What i would like to find out is;
How do I get the output into a readable/useable format?
I heard there are chips that will convert the data stream
to ASCII...

Any Help...Most appreciated!!

Thanks in advance.
H

--

Several vendors offer VB-compatible libraries to control
acquisition cards and allow you to plot data in real-time.
Check first Data Translation (MA) or National Instruments
(TX). Data Translation provides a series of VBXs and cheap
A/D interfaces. NI has VB4.0 OCXs. I believe many
manufacturers propose PCMCIA, RS232-based acquisition cards.

        Hope this helps.

Quoc Thang NGUYEN
Laboratory of Cellular and
Molecular Neurobiology
Dept. of Psychobiology
University of California, Irvine
Irvine, CA92717 USA
Ph: (714) 824-4730
Fx: (714) 824-3522

       *and*

How many bits does the A/D converter need?  Alternatively you
can tell me how small a signal you need to resolve.