An interlock is a device used to help prevent a machine from harming its operator or damaging itself by stopping the machine when tripped. Household microwave ovens are equipped with interlock switches which disable the magnetron if the door is opened. Similarly household washing machines will not enter spin cycle while their lid is open. Interlocks also serve as important safety devices in industrial settings, where they protect employees from more complex devices, like robots. While interlocks can be something as sophisticated as curtains of infrared beams and photodetectors, they are often just switches. Microwave oven A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance employing microwave radiation primarily to cook or heat food. ... A magnetron is a high-powered vacuum tube that generates coherent microwaves. ... Front-loading washing machine. ... An industrial robot is officially defined by ISO (Standard 8373:1994, Manipulating Industrial Robots – Vocabulary) as an automatically controlled, reprogrammable, multipurpose manipulator programmable in three or more axes. ... Image of a small dog taken in mid-infrared (thermal) light (false color) Infrared (IR) radiation is electromagnetic radiation of a wavelength longer than visible light, but shorter than microwave radiation. ... Photosensors or photodetectors appear in several varieties: Photoresistors or Light Dependant Resistors (LDR) which change resistance when illuminated Photovoltaic cells or solar cells which produce a voltage and supply an electric current when illuminated Photodiodes which can operate in photovoltaic mode or photoconductive mode Phototubes containing a photocathode which emits... Electrical switches. ...

In microprocessor architecture an interlock is hardware that stalls the pipeline (inserts bubbles) when a hazard is detected until the hazard is cleared. One example of a hazard is if a software program loads data from the system bus and calls for use of that data in the following cycle in a system in which loads take multiple cycles (a load-to-use hazard). In computer architecture, a hazard is a potential problem that can happen in a pipelined processor. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Load, in computing, is a measure of the amount of processing a computer system is currently performing, usually in the form of a scalar and as some variation on a percentage. ... In computer architecture, a bus is a subsystem that transfers data or power between computer components inside a computer or between computers. ...

The Interlock System is R. Talsorian Games' proprietary role-playing system. It is one of the direct parents of the Fuzion system (the other is the Hero System). The Interlock System is a "skill-based" system — characters are created by choosing skills for them, and by advancing those skills individually; rather than by choosing character class packages. The Interlock System is used primarily in the Cyberpunk 2020 and Mekton role-playing games; a variant of the Interlock System is used in Teenagers from Outer Space and the Japanese Gundam Senki RPG. Stats and skills are both rated on a scale of 0-10 with 0 representing no ability/no training and 10 representing the maximum ability possible for a human being. A typical skill roll will range from 12-20 for most tasks, so a skill 10 + stat 10 will succeed at virtually any task barring a critical mishap, while a skill 0 + stat 2 (minimum statistic level for a human character) will fail at any but the very simplest task, and even then will succeed only on a critical success. R. Talsorian Games, based in Renton, WA, published numberous role-playing games books and accessories. ... Fuzion is a generic roleplaying game system created by the collaboration of R. Talsorian Games and Hero Games. ... The Hero System is the overarching name given to the generic rules underlying the Hero Games role-playing games such as Champions, Fantasy Hero, Star Hero, and Pulp Hero. ... // What it is A character class represents a characters archetype and career in many role-playing games. ... Cover of Cyberpunk 2020 Cyberpunk 2020 is a cyberpunk role-playing game published by R.Talsorian Games, set in the near future. ... Mekton is a role-playing game which centers around the conventions of mecha anime and science-fiction (although it can easily enough be adapted to other genres like police drama or high fantasy). ... Teenagers From Outer Space is a rules-light comedy RPG from R. Talsorian Games, inspired by gag anime such as Urusei Yatsura and Ranma 1/2. ... For information on human ability in general, see expertise. ... A skill is an ability, usually learned, to perform actions. ...

The Interlock System is best known for its Lifepath system, a storytelling device used to create character backgrounds without particular direct benefit or drawback to the character, avoiding min-maxing. Min-maxing is the practice of playing a role-playing game for the intent of creating the best character by means of minimizing undesired traits and maximizing desired ones. ...

See also

• Cyberpunk 2020
• Mekton
• Fuzion