In this short application note, Burger outlines the functions and uses of board-level bus analyzers for VMEbus and its extensions (VXI, VME 64, and Futurebus Plus). Each of the four basic functions of the VMEbus analyzers (bus interfacing, data selection, data storage, and user interfacing) is sketched. Several solutions for VMEbus implementation are compared: active versus passive, computer versus human interface, and hard versus soft design. Methods for adapting diagnostic tools to handle a variety of VMEbus extensions are also considered.
The paper is introductory and is intended for a large audience. The presentation is clear. The figures are well-chosen and serve the purpose of the paper.