Controls and data acquisition on Atlas

The control and data acquisition systems for Atlas will use a large degree of decentralization. By distributing control points close to the systems being controlled we expect to simplify the task of isolating electonic systems from the large expected EMI pulses, allow connection of the various parts of the system by high-level fiber-optic networks, allow a simple configuration of the control and data acquisition screen rooms, and simplify the software efforts through the resulting modularization. The Atlas control system must control capacitor charging, machine and diagnostic timing and triggering, Marx module diagnostics, vacuum systems, gas handling for railgaps, safety interlocks, and oil handling. Many of these tasks will be performed by industrial-style programmable logic controllers (PLCs). Each of 38 Marx bank maintenance units will have a control and diagnostic package which will monitor both charging and discharging current and railgap trigger timing. An unusual feature of these Marx monitoring stations will be the inclusion of high speed digitizers to record each Marx module's output waveform, plus nanosecond resolution time interval meters to record the firing time of each railgap. The machine data acquisition system for Atlas will be built around an SQL database, use National Instruments LabVIEW software to control data acquisition instruments and provide links for a variety of experimentalists' data analysis packages. World Wide Web access will provide an interface through which users can monitor experimental data and machine status.