Use of a Small off-Line Computer in the Operation of a Versatile Heavy Ion Cyclotron

In a modern heavy ion cyclotron with variable energy and particle species, it is essential to provide the operations staff with fast and easy access to parameter information. At the Berkeley 88-Inch Cyclotron, which operates under manual control, an interactive computer program has been developed to meet this requirement. The program is written in BASIC on a small off-line computer to perform a variety of calculations for any ion species and energy. The program can provide the operator with cyclotron and beam line settings for any beam, regardless of whether or not the beam has been previously run, by utilizing the broad data base acquired over a decade of heavy ion operation. A number of additional calculations now being performed conveniently and routinely by the operations staff will be discussed. The use of this program has greatly streamlined the operation of the cyclotron because needed information can be obtained quickly and reliably.