The heart of the Hawkeye System is the signal-processing unit. In order to improve reliability, the electronics are housed in a sealed aluminum enclosure to protect them from grind dust and other contaminants. Electrical connections to the unit are made using standard D-Sub connectors conveniently mounted on one side of the housing, simplifying system integration and panel wiring. All communications with the signal-processing unit are performed using a standard RS232/422 Port. For applications where the unit will be connected to a conventional PLC or CNC controller, a general purpose I/O port is also provided which can be used to control the various operation modes of the unit and provide output signals for defined events.