Completion of the LANSCE proton storage ring control system upgrade-a successful integration of EPICS into a running control system

The Los Alamos Neutron Scattering Center (LANSCE) proton storage ring (PSR) control system upgrade is complete. In previous work, much of a PDP-11-based control system was replaced with the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) controls. Several parts of the old control system which used a VAX for operator displays and direct access to a CAMAC serial highway still remained. The old system was preserved as a “fallback” if the new EPICS-based system had problems. The control system upgrade completion included conversion of several application programs to EPICS-based operator interfaces, moving some data acquisition hardware to EPICS Input-Output Controllers (IOCs), and the implementation of new gateway software to complete the overall control system interoperability. Many operator interface (OPI) screens, written by LANSCE operators, have been incorporated in the new system. The old PSR control system hardware was removed. The robustness and reliability of the new controls obviated the need for a fallback capability