The Personal Acoustics Lab (PAL): a microcomputer-based system for digital signal acquisition, analysis, and...

A new, integrated digital signal processing (DSP) system, the Personal Acoustics Lab (PAL), is described. This microcomputer-based system is suitable for analogue signal digitization at rates from several samples per hour to 150,000 samples per second in 12- or 16-bit words. Data may be acquired on one to sixteen single-ended A/D, or one to eight double-ended A/D channels in bipolar or unipolar modes. Digitized data may be reconverted to analogue signals using one or two D/A channels. An external clock and trigger and two bidirectional digital ports are provided. Integrated PAL-ILS software commands perform all necessary DSP functions, including: data editing, time- and frequency-domain graphical display, plotting, filtering, Fourier and Hilbert transforms, linear predictive coding, auto- and cross-correlation, and summary statistics. The system is suitable for biological and engineering DSP applications. Output from selected PAL-ILS software commands is illustrated using a bioacoustical example.