Note 7 - Segment Information (Detail) - The following table presents certain operating segment information. (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011	Sep. 30, 2012
Sales:
Product	$ 15,305	$ 15,154
Service	5,565	5,939
Total sales	20,870	21,093
Profit (loss) from operations	173	764
Assets	50,814	44,813	51,066
Capital expenditures	135	85
Depreciation and amortization	123	110
Systems Segment [Member]
Sales:
Product	96	1,239
Service	957	1,107
Total sales	1,053	2,346
Profit (loss) from operations	(373)	12
Assets	16,914	13,214
Capital expenditures	41	29
Depreciation and amortization	37	23
Germany [Member]
Sales:
Product	2,064	3,851
Service	3,204	3,587
Total sales	5,268	7,438
Profit (loss) from operations	(147)	275
Assets	13,527	16,212
Capital expenditures	55	26
Depreciation and amortization	42	39
UK [Member]
Sales:
Product	154	353
Service	302	316
Total sales	456	669
Profit (loss) from operations		26
Assets	3,524	3,727
Capital expenditures	3	19
Depreciation and amortization	5	7
US [Member]
Sales:
Product	12,991	9,711
Service	1,102	929
Total sales	14,093	10,640
Profit (loss) from operations	693	451
Assets	16,849	11,660
Capital expenditures	36	11
Depreciation and amortization	39	41
Total Service and System Integration Segment [Member]
Sales:
Product	15,209	13,915
Service	4,608	4,832
Total sales	19,817	18,747
Profit (loss) from operations	546	752
Assets	33,900	31,599
Capital expenditures	94	56
Depreciation and amortization	$ 86	$ 87