Abstract
An inexpensive automatic control system for soils testing is described. The system comprises a microcomputer, an analog-digital conversion board, an output relay board, a parallel digital interface, and solenoid valves. Minimal programming is involved to set up the system, and the required software is ordinarily provided by the manufacturer at no cost. The system has been successfully used in k sub 0 consolidation and strain-controlled loading of cubical clay specimens in a cuboidal shear device. The system may also be used to controlother soil testing equipment. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1309, Geotechnical engineering 1991.