PC-based control and measuring, using industrial systems

Martin BRÄUER
HASYLAB

The control of experimental setups is becoming more and more important,
since the instruments tend to get larger and more complex. In
high-energy physics this field is called slow-control. Hard- and
software are mostly custom made and implemented by physicists.
On the other hand there is a very large market, dealing with industrial
control and steering, called ?automation-technology?. These days?
PC-based systems are changing this market considerably, making hardware
cheap and extremely powerful. The advantages of using standard
components from automation technology will be outlined.
The talk will give an overview about general automation technology,
concentrating on PC based systems and show how commercial systems can be
used in physics.
Key-concepts like field busses and (software) PLC?s will be discussed.
As main examples, the undulator systems for PETRA3 and XFEL will be used.
Some real world examples of PC-controlled setups can be visited after
the talk in the undulator laboratory.