The LBL Magnetic Measurements Data Acquisition System

The LBL Magnetic Measurements Engineering (MME) Group has developed a Real-Time Data Acquisition System (DAS) for magnetic measurements. The design objective was for a system that was versatile, "portable," modular, expandable, quickly and easily reconfigurable both in hardware and software, and inexpensive. All objectives except the last were attained. An LSI 11/23 microcomputer is interfaced to a clock-calendar, printer, CRT control terminal, plotter with hard copy, floppy and hard disks, GPIB, and CAMAC buses. Off-the-shelf hardware and software have been used where possible. Operational capabilities include: (1) measurement of high permeability materials, (2) harmonic error analysis of (a) superconducting dipoles and (b) rare earth cobalt (REC) and conventional quadrupole magnets, and (3) 0.1% accuracy x-y mapping with Hall probes. Results are typically presented in both tabular and graphical form during measurements. Only minutes are required to switch from one measurement capability to another. Brief descriptions of the DAS capabilities, some of the special instrumentation developed to implement these capabilities, and planned developments are given below.