New control system for the KEK photon factory

A new control system for the Photon Factory (PF) electron storage ring has been developed, incorporating modern technologies in both high-level and low-level control layers. The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) software toolkit was introduced as a major framework in the middle- and high-level control layers. In the low-level layer, Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) was used for a safety control system, for RF klystron control boards and for the vacuum control system, etc. Old VME-board computers with the HP-RT operating system were replaced by Linux-based board computers, which were used as low-level input/output controllers. The new control system has been running without any serious problems since its commissioning in September 2005.