Experimental Physics and
Industrial Control System

On Aug 9, 2021, at 6:32 AM, Heinz Junkes via Core-talk <core-talk at aps.anl.gov> wrote:

Hi,
unfortunately, this will be a somewhat longer mail. I hope you manage to read it until the end:

We have succeeded in an initiative of research and science in Germany to provide EPICS as a basic system:
https://www.physics.nat.fau.eu/2021/07/05/fairmat-lifting-the-treasure-trove-of-materials-data

It is perfectly clear to us that we need to start this at an university in order to familiarize students (here of physics) with the concept of EPICS.

For a "kick-off" I visited the chair last week in Erlangen to familiarize them with EPICS and the other stuff like Phoebus, ArchiverAppliance, Bluesky. So the things that we use as a matter of course. We had prepared installation scripts and in Erlangen they provided me with a PC running Ubuntu. This also worked so far and we were able to set up an IOC and read out a measuring device (Keithley K2000) via serial interface using StreamDevice.
( By the way, they still use GPIB for almost all lab setups. I thought that no longer exists ;-) )

But then I found out that the people on site couldn't really follow me. Although they are quite strongly motivated.
But unfortunately they have no experience at all with the Unix environment. They are also not familiar with editing configuration/startup text files. And also the many ways you can build an IOC now and then also the many operator possibilities just overwhelmed them.

I think it would be purposeful to address such situations in general.

The following idea:

Provide epics base with the usual support modules (async, StreamDevice) as a Windows installation package (MSI?) so that the typical Windows user only has to "double click”.
In it an example IOC (started with procserv) which is designed to "talk" to measuring devices. Provision of a low-cost/simple GPIB Ethernet gateway ( z.B. PROLOGIX GPIB-ETHERNET CONTROLLER). Installation package Windows for Phoebus, ArchiverAppliance, Bluesky.

Maybe someone has already done something in this direction and the whole thing already exists.

I think our previous attempts with ready-made UNIX VMs or installation scripts do not address the typical Windows user and prevent the spread of
EPICS in teaching or even controlling smaller experiments without existing IT infrastructure and support.

I would be happy if we could discuss this at one of our next core-developer meetings.

Viele Grüße
Heinz Junkes
--
Experience directly varies with equipment ruined.