New intelligent magnet power supplies for LAMPF

New magnet power supplies are scheduled to be installed in the proton linac at the Clinton P. Anderson Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF). The control and interface design of these power supplies represents a departure from all others on site. A high-level ASCII control protocol has been designed. The supplies have sophisticated microprocessor control onboard and communicate with the accelerator control system via RS-422 (serial communications). The low-level software used by the accelerator control system is currently being rewritten to accommodate these new devices. They communicate with the control system through a terminal server port connected to the statewide Ethernet backbone. This means that each supply will, for all intents and purposes, be a network object. Details of the design strategies for the analog and digital control for these supplies as well as the control protocol interface are presented.<
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