At the request of the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Higher Education Panel (a stratified sample of 760 colleges and universities) collected information on the level of institutional expenditures for research equipment, the federal contribution to those expenditures, and the share of funds expended for high-cost items. The data were…

Described is the use of automated control using microcomputers. Covers the development of the microcontroller and describes advantages and characteristics of several brands of chips. Provides several recent applications of microcontrollers in laboratory automation. (MVL)