[en] As various subsystems of the National Bureau of Standards/Los Alamos racetrack microtron accelerator are being brought on-line, we are gaining experience with some of the innovations implemented in the control system. Foremost among these are the joystick-based operator controls, the hierarchical distribution of control system intelligence, and the independent secondary stations, permitting sectional stand-alone operation. The result of the distributed database philosophy and parallel data links has been very fast data updates, permitting joystick interaction with system elements. The software development was greatly simplified by using the hardware arbitration of several parallel processors in the Multibus system to split the software tasks into independent modules

[en] The distributed intelligence control system for the NBS/LANL racetrack microtron (RTM) is now nearing completion with all major subsystems implemented and tested, thus providing some operating experience with most of the control system innovations. These include a triple hierarchy of microprocessor-based control elements, consisting of a primary control station and multiple secondary and tertiary control stations; light-link coupling to a tertiary station which operates at a 100 kV potential; a common database shared by separate microprocessors for handling hardware control and operator interactions; and joy stick control of the entire system. A unique secondary station interpreter program was used to great advantage for testing and checkout of various control and monitoring subsystems. The hardware design of the control system is based on Multibus I crates containing commercial Multibus I boards and a few custom designed boards. The primary-secondary data link is a high speed, bidirectional, full-duplex, 8-bit, ''byte'' parallel link designed for this application. This link permits very fast updating of the monitored data (>5 per second) and timely response to operator control inputs at the primary station

[en] A simple mechanical device is presented which allows a probe to scan a plane in space without translating the probe support. The mechanism relies on the rotation of two shafts, one of which rotates the probe through space and the other controls the probe offset from the axis of rotation. The characteristic width of the area swept out is four times the characteristic width of the device. A simple ratcheting gear allows adjacent planes to be scanned for the purpose of obtaining gradients. Computerized control of the shafts rotations also allows noncircular domains to be scanned

No abstract available

[en] Ultimately, the true measure of a control system lies in how well initial decisions allow for exigencies, as the overall machine evolves and requirements solidify. Recognizing that advances in electronic technology virtually guarantee that any system will be technologically out of date by the time it is operational, the criteria really do not involve the state of the technological advancement, but instead legitimately ask whether the control-system design can adjust to the inevitable machine-design changes, whether the operators can use it to control the machine in a reasonable manner, whether it was built within budget constraints, or, in short, whether it works. On these bases, our initial decisions on the racetrack microtron (RTM) control system have been increasingly vindicated as the system has evolved, and we feel that our experiences have shed some light on just which criteria are of real importance, and which are merely a part of the lore of popular misinformation. Unless the basic requirements are met, technical elegance is no virtue, and when they are met, design simplicity is no vice

[en] A computer based control system developed for operating fuelling machines in nuclear power stations is described. The system requirements control strategy, diagnostic features etc are explained. (A.K.)

No abstract available

[en] The authors report on the control system of the Yale ESTU. In this paper, a summary of the present control system and the proposed new system are combined with detailed descriptions of the new components and some preliminary reports on performance

No abstract available

[en] The increased demands of an expanding accelerator laboratory have made it timely to consider strategies for expansion of the TRIUMF Control System. These requirements have led to reflections on one of the major themes of this conference - centralized vs. distributed digital control systems for accelerators. This paper discusses the way in which the TRIUMF system successfully combines elements of both approaches