FPGA-Based Controller Enables Precise Chemical Analysis

A gas chromatograph (GC) is a chemical analysis instrument that separates volatile substances in a complex chemical sample. GCs have evolved measurably over the last 20 years, from simple mechanical pressure and flow regulators to sophisticated electronic closed-loop pressure and flow controllers that allow for the storage and retrieval of the entire instrument setup.

This article explains how an embedded controller using a Spartan-3 device and MicroBlaze processor provides electronic control of gas flows and pressures.