franchise-star-trek-tng-technical-manual1

10.6 TRICORDER10.6.2 Tricorder user interface•ALPHAenBETATRACKING MODE-_ < •s * -\ ,'V^•DELTAenGAMMALIBRARYDEVICE INPUTGEOBIO•ACCEPTPOOLNSMISSION 1INTERSHIPTRICORDERFMRGDr IMAGE RECORD 1FORWARDINPUTREVERSEERASEi— LIBRARY B —i130The computer capabilities of the standard tricorder aredistributed throughout the device as preprocessors attachedto the various sensors and twenty-seven polled main computingsegments (PMCS). Each PMCS contains subsectionsdedicated to rapid management of the sensor assemblies,prioritizing of processing tasks, routing of processed data,and management of control and power systems. The PMCSchips supplied with the TR-580 and TR-595H(P) standardtricorders are rated at 150 GFP calculations per second.The control and display interface (CDI) routes commandsfrom both the panel buttons and display screen to thePMCS for execution of tricorder functions. Multiple functionscan be run simultaneously, limited only by PMCS speed. Inpractice, crew members usually carry out no more than sixseparate scanning tasks.Communications functions are carried out by tricorderthrough the subspace transceiver assembly (STA). Voiceand data are uplink/downlinked along standard communicatorfrequencies. Transmission data rates are variable, with amaximum speed in Emergency Dump Mode of 825 TFP.Communication range is limited to 40,000 km intership, similarto the standard communicator badge.The data storage sections of the standard tricorderinclude fourteen wafers of nickel carbonitrium crystal for 0.73kiloquads of interim processor data storage, and three builtinisolinear optical chips, each with a capacity of 2.06 kiloquads,for a total of 6.91 kiloquads. The swappable librarycrystal chips are each formatted to hold 4.5 kiloquads. InEmergency Dump Mode, all memory devices are read insequence and transmitted, including any library chips inplace. In practice, the total timetodumpa standard tricorder'smemory to a starship can be as long as 0.875 seconds.GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF CONTROLS AND INDICATORSWhen stowed, the only visible control is the powerswitch. It shows a red power-on light and a green power levelindicator (See: 10.6.2). When deployed, all of the availablecontrols are visible.• PWR STBY — Power standby light. If the tricorder isnot used for more than ten minutes, this indicator will illuminate,and the tricorder goes into low-power mode. Any newtouch of any control will bring the device back up to full power.When the tricorder is stowed but performing ongoing tasks,low-power mode does not occur.Actor Gates McFadden (who plays Dr. Beverly Crusher) has always been a stickler forgetting medical procedure as accurateas possible. Rick developed this tricorder guide partially because of her request for a set of consistent operating guidelinesfor our props.