The Fluke 1722A is a programmable Instrument Controller designed to manage a multiple instrument system using the IEEE-488-1980 instrumentation bus. It is able to command and communicate with various devices over this industry-standard bus. User programs give the Controller the ability to collect data, process it, make decisions, respond to instrument service requests, and to format the results of these activities to meet the unique needs of the user. The 1722A stores programs and the collected data on disk. A floppy disk drive is a standard built-in feature of the Instrument Controller. A general purpose RS-232 port is also standard; it permits the Controller to send information out to many types of peripheral devices, including modems and printers. The programmer enters programs at a detachable keyboard. The system communicates with the programmer by way of a CRT display. After a program is entered, it can be stored in memory, on floppy disks or hard disk for later use. During operation, the keyboard can be detached. In this mode, the operator uses the Touch-Sensitive Display to respond to directions from the program, and to give inputs to the system.