Design and implementation of a microcomputer-based user interface controller for bursted data communications satellite ground terminals

The NASA Lewis Research Center is developing a laboratory-based satellite communications test bed for evaluation of state-of-the-art communications hardware and systems. Most of the digital components of the ground terminals are being constructed in-house at NASA Lewis. One of the ground terminal subsystems, the user interface controller, controls the connection and disconnection of all users to the communication network. The role of the user interface controller in the ground terminal is described and the design and implementation of the microcomputer-based subsystem is discussed.