A User Programmable General Purpose Microprocessor Control System

This paper describes the hardware structure and design of a general-purpose microprocessor based controller intended for the full authority control of gas turbine and diesel engines in ground based vehicle and industrial applications. Particular attention is paid to the digital processor and how it’s design was influenced by the user requirements of a general purpose, real-time system. The system is currently being manufactured in production form. An accompanying paper describes the supporting software and user program facilities (Ref 1). Such systems based on the use of microprocessors must not only provide general purpose hardware, but also software structured so that a wide range of control algorithms may be programmed and performed within strict limits of real-time. This paper describes the development of the Type C4E87 General Purpose Controller (REF Fig. 1) with particular reference to its hardware structure and design within a system intended primarily for application as a full authority control of gas turbine and diesel engines etc.