Upgrade of the timing system for Tore Supra long pulses

The timing system is an essential part of the tokamak Tore Supra. It provides the synchronisation of all of the triggers necessary for a plasma discharge. Operational since 1988, it has been used for 26000 pulses of Tore Supra without significant change or upgrade. However in 1999 it has been undergoing a staged modernisation. Hence this new timing system with a designed flexible and open-ended architecture, together with a more user-friendly man-machine interface, is ready to accept new concepts which will be necessary for the control of long discharges (up to 1000 s).