The digital laser range finder, because of its versatility and accuracy, is widely used today for computing ranges to targets, landmarks and various objects. Unfortunately, the dangerous nature of lasers limits the use thereof to only those personnel that have been well trained in their operation. Further, availability and cost may restrict the use of laser range finders in many operations. Such safety concerns, laser availability, and cost of the laser range finder often make it difficult to develop systems that require the integration of the digital laser range finder and its output.
While it would appear that a proper solution to this problem would be to simulate the serial data output signal of a laser range finder, the implementation of this solution has proved rather difficult. For example, use of a programmable pulse generator or personal computer to generate serial signals indicative of a laser range finder is suitable for lab conditions. However, at some point it becomes necessary to field test an entire system of which the laser range finder is an integral part. For such field tests, the typical "lab" type devices are too cumbersome, present power supply problems, and are not designed to withstand field test environments in which an entire integrated system needs to be tested. Furthermore, these devices cost thousands of dollars and are typically "over qualified" for the task at hand.