Hi all,

I have been meaning to learn USB and to create a PC-based test  
interface with it, so that I can use a PC to simulate various  
sensors/triggers/signals to test products, and in same cases be able  
to measure the product responses and determine if they're correct,  
etc.  But time is difficult to come by lately, and I'm now looking for  
something off-the-shelf.

I would need the following I/O...
- At least 5 digital outputs (to simulate switching to ground, sending  
5V and 12V power to the product under test, etc)
- 2 analog voltage outputs (8-bit is fine).  I can use a couple D2A's  
for this, assuming I have a couple SPI/I2C outputs, or 16 extra  
digital outputs
- 2 variable resistance outputs (I can use digital pots again,  
assuming I have enough digital outputs or 2 I2C/SPI outputs)
- 4 digital inputs to test outputs from the products.
- At least 36 (44 would be nice) extra inputs, which I'll use later  
with phototransitors to "read" some 7-segment displays, and have the  
PC interpret the results on the products.
- 2 analog inputs.

On the PC side I'd like it to have a direct USB connection to the PC  
(no serial-to-USB interface).   I'll need to write code so that the  
operator will select the product model/configuration, and it will  
setup the correct signals, tell the operator what the display should  
show, and they can click "pass" or "fail" to move to the next test  
step, so I need some type of scripting language on the PC side.

Anyone doing anything similar?  Any commercial products do this  
already, at a non arm-and-leg price?  A generic I/O board with enough  
analog and digital I/O's would be nice, but I would need the PC-side  
scripting language to send/read the signals.

Cheers,
-Neil.



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