Experimental Physics and
Industrial Control System

Mark Rivers via Tech-talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov> · Wed, 23 Dec 2020 17:27:00 +0000

Hi Markus,

I am not familiar with VeriStand, though from a quick look at their Web site I see it is a test framework that can use a variety of interfaces, including .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR).

I have written one EPICS driver that uses the .NET CLR, namely the ADLightField driver in areaDetector:

https://github.com/areaDetector/ADLightField
https://areadetector.github.io/master/ADLightField/ADLightField.html

It is based on the asynPortDriver C++ base class from the EPICS asyn module.

I don't think that StreamDevice can be used as the interface between VeriStand and the SCADA because it is intended for string message interfaces, while I think you need a programmatic interface, e.g. C++.

Mark

-----Original Message-----
From: Tech-talk <tech-talk-bounces at aps.anl.gov> On Behalf Of Markus Huber via Tech-talk
Sent: Wednesday, December 23, 2020 10:28 AM
To: EPICS tech-talk <tech-talk at aps.anl.gov>
Subject: EPICS for Building a SCADA System for Energy Grids; Interface to NI VeriStand

Dear EPICS Community,

I am quite new to EPICS and have some general questions.

I am looking for an open-source framework that enables me to develop a SCADA system for an experimental sector-coupled microgrid at a research lab our univerity.
After watching some videos and presentations about EPICS and its support modules, i think EPICS might be the right tool for that. Now i wonder if you think so, too.

In the beginning our system consists of three main parts:

1. A VeriStand application that bundles all signals from/to the field controllers.
2. A software interface that enables communication between VeriStand (in
particular: VeriStand's .NET API) and our intended SCADA system.
3. Our SCADA system, which should provide an HMI, historian database, alarm handling, and so on.

Later, it should be possible to connect other devices to the SCADA system without the detour via the VeriStand application (1. and 2.).
In the beginning, all three components will run on the same host machine.

Do you think EPICS is suitable to develop such a SCADA system (3.)?
* If yes, can you recommend any support modules to implement an interface between (2.) and (3.)? Do you think Asyn and StreamDevice are suitable, or is there a simpler way?
* If no, can you recommend any other, well-documented, modern, and open-source frameworks to develop a SCADA system?

Thank you in advance and kind regards
Markus Huber
MSc Student (Computer Science) at TU Munich

Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System

Experimental Physics and
Industrial Control System