Fiber optic control and diagnostic family of hardwares for the Confinement Physics Research Facility (CPRF) toroidal field and DC interrupter systems

A versatile fiber-optic system of outstanding performance has been designed and utilized in the development of the CPRF (Confinement Physics Research Facility) pulsed-power equipment. These fiber-optic systems consist of a family of interchangeable but application-oriented mother and daughter PC boards. The transmitter family may be described as having a true instrumentation amplifier front end (of unique design), a temperature compensated voltage to frequency converter, and fiber-optic and differential current loop outputs. The receiver family consists of various mother and daughter boards which can be interchanged easily to optimize overall system requirements. The receivers are temperature-compensated and capable of driving 50 Ω loads to full output (±200 mA). Receivers boast a better than 67-dB S+N/N ratio without any noticeable overshoot or ringing. A no-input shutdown and a remote flag feature are used to protect sensitive or control hardware. The detailed design information is presented along with examples of application-specific hardware