Architecture of the Effelsberg control system

Axel Jessner

doi:10.1117/12.211474

8 June 1995 Architecture of the Effelsberg control system

Axel Jessner

Proceedings Volume 2479, Telescope Control Systems; (1995) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.211474
Event: SPIE's 1995 Symposium on OE/Aerospace Sensing and Dual Use Photonics, 1995, Orlando, FL, United States

Abstract

The 100 m radiotelescope in Effelsberg (Germany) has been in continuous operation for over 24 years. Consequently, its control system has evolved from a centralized Ferranti Argus 500 based architecture via one using Modcomp Classics coupled with `dumb' CAMAC crates to our current multi-level system, where two clustered VAX 3000 (VMS) machines coordinate several `intelligent' CAMAC crates. Receiver timing, ULO control, and also the control of the backends happens on the CAMAC level using dedicated crates equipped with DC-J11 (PDP11) auxiliary crate controllers. A similar approach is used for the positioning of the telescope, where the astronomical calculations are made by the VAX but the PID control loops for the telescope axes are calculated by the auxiliary crate controllers. A specialized 16-bit parallel interface developed by the MPIfR's digital group enables the observational data from the continuum, spectroscopic, and pulsar backends to flow directly to the VAXes, where it is buffered and then transferred to DATapes and via network connections to UNIX workstations for further processing.

Citation Download Citation

Axel Jessner "Architecture of the Effelsberg control system", Proc. SPIE 2479, Telescope Control Systems, (8 June 1995); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.211474

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