(Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System)


Summary: an Enhancement Tool for EPICS Users

CapFast EPICS is the application of CapFast's methodology to a graphical control system, to be used as a configuration tool. EPICS is a control system currently in use at Los Alamos National Labs. This system uses configurable functional blocks to implement control logic. These blocks are combined by the user to define complex control functions. Because of the similarity of this system to schematic representation of ectronic circuits, the CapFast symbols were defined to represent the primitive functional blocks supported by control systems. Ports and properties were added to allow connections and user configurable parameters. The symbols can then be used in a CapFast schematic to define the desired logic.

Once the schematic defines the logic, information is then extracted from the netlist for use by the control system software. Translators then flatten the hierarchy and represent the schematic as a network of primitive function blocks. EDIF format is used for compatibility with other commercially available packages and to allow for definition of hierarchical naming rules. The ability to use CapFast as such a tool is a great advantage, because the graphical format is easy to understand and in many cases, is the only documentation required. The software is robust and has the ability to handle large, hirearchical designs, thus providing an attractive user interface for configuration tasks.


Example of CapFast/EPICS usage (screen shot-large image)


Other Users of CapFast with EPICS

MIT * Stanford * Caltech * Greenwich Observatory Labs * Lawrence Berkeley Labs * CEBAF * Gemini 8M Telescope Project * Duke University * Los Alamos National Labs. * Jefferson Laboratories * NASA-Langley Research Center * JPL * CERN * KEKB Research Center * Joint Astronomy Center * Brookhaven National Laboratory and others...

For a comprehensive document on EPICS and CapFast application in the industry:

We recommend you start HERE: Los Alamos National Laboratories web site,


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