Four ways in which microcomputers can be turned into laboratory instruments are discussed. These include adding an analog/digital (A/D) converter on a printed circuit board, adding an external A/D converter using the computer's serial port, attaching transducers to the game paddle ports, or connecting an instrument to the computer. (JN)

Describes a method for making a simple, inexpensive apparatus which can be used to determine Planck's constant. Provides illustrations of a circuit diagram using one or more light-emitting diodes and a BASIC computer program for simplifying calculations. (RT)