Modern tandem control systems

Nowadays, tandem electrostatic accelerators can benefit greatly from the growing possibilities provided by modern control facilities. Controlling an electrostatic accelerator first requires the solution of technological problems raised by the necessity of fitting inside the tank equipment which is highly stressed by the physical environment. Then, these controls can take advantage of new techniques which appear on the market. Present computer technology provides cheap powerful workstations for efficient operator interfacing, and new modular and distributed control concepts have been developed for general use in experimental physics, in data acquisition and in control systems. The general trend towards standardization is now accepted for both hardware and software and this brings benefits to the designer and the user. (orig.)