Hardware system interfacing with Delphi 3 to achieve academic integration between the fields of computer systems and software engineering

Abstract

This paper explores the use of dive computer downloader units and Delphi 3 object-oriented structures to integrate the fields of Computer Systems and Software Engineering in the academic environment. Currently there is a minor degree of system interfacing between the fields of Computer Systems and Software Engineering in the academic environment. Feedback from industry indicates that system interfacing between these two fields need to be addressed. For this paper it was decided to use a dive computer downloader unit as a unique real life application because it allows the addressing of both hardware and software interfacing techniques. Dive data need to be captured from the dive computer and downloaded through a hardware interface device to a personal computer (PC) for permanent storage in a database. By using Delphi 3 with its powerful Windows 95 based 3 2-bit object-oriented structures and excellent database manipulation techniques, it will be possible to develop a software interface communicating with the hardware devices.