Using EPICS in new radio telescope interferometer project

[Juan Carlos Guzman <Juan.Guzman@csiro.au>]

Hello,

My name is Juan-Carlos Guzman. I'm working as a software engineer for a new radio telescope to be built in Australia, named ASKAP (http://www.atnf.csiro.au/projects/askap/). 

We are considering using EPICS for the control software and for that reason we are preparing a small prototype radio telescope (12 meter single-dish with focal plane array at centimetre wavelength) based on EPICS. I attended a training course in Melbourne (organized by Aussie Synchrotron) which gave me a very good insight on the benefits of using EPICS. Despite all the benefits of using EPICS, it seems that several new astronomical projects are tending to use CORBA-based frameworks.

I will much appreciate any information on experience (good and bad) using EPICS, in particular in astronomical facilities, both optical and radio. Also if there is any technical reason why not to choose EPICS on this kind of facilities in comparison with other frameworks such as TANGO, ACS (ALMA Common Software), etc. Since probably this is not a new topic in the mailing list and my intention is not to overload the discussion in the EPICS tech-talk, I suggest responses directly to me. I more than happy to summarize later any response, unless I am asked not to.

Thanks in advance. Kind regards,

  Juan-Carlos.

----------

Juan Carlos Guzman

Software Engineer

CSIRO Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF)

P.O.Box 76, Epping NSW 1710, Australia

Phone: +61 2 9372 4457

Fax: +61 2 9372 4310

Email: Juan.Guzman@csiro.au