The synApps vac Module
Table of contents
The vac module provides EPICS custom record types, device support drivers, and databases for vacuum system instrumentation. It supports ion pump controllers and vacuum gauge controllers from several manufacturers, communicating over serial (RS-232/RS-485) and Ethernet (TCP/IP) using the ASYN driver framework.
Supported Devices
Ion Pump Controllers
Supported through the digitel record type and the devDigitelPump device support driver.
| Device | Manufacturer | Communication |
|---|---|---|
| Digitel 500 / 1500 | Physical Electronics | RS-232 |
| MPC / MPC-II | Gamma Vacuum | RS-232, RS-485 |
| QPC / QPCe | Gamma Vacuum | RS-232, RS-485, Ethernet |
| SPCe | Gamma Vacuum | RS-232, RS-485, Ethernet |
The QPC is also supported through streamDevice and Modbus databases using standard EPICS records.
Vacuum Gauge Controllers
Supported through the vs record type and the devVacSen device support driver.
| Device | Manufacturer | Communication |
|---|---|---|
| GP307 | Granville-Phillips | RS-232 |
| GP350 | Granville-Phillips | RS-232, RS-485 |
| MM200 | Televac | RS-232 |
| MX200 | Televac | RS-232, RS-485 |
| CC10 | Televac | RS-232, RS-485 |
Build Requirements
| Module | Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ASYN | Yes | Serial and network communication |
| IPAC | vxWorks only | tyGSOctal serial port support |
| streamDevice | Optional | For QPC streamDevice databases |
| modbus | Optional | For QPC Modbus databases |
The vac module publishes vacSupport.dbd and libvac for use by IOC applications.
Quick Start
The recommended way to configure devices is through the provided iocsh scripts, which handle serial port setup and database loading in a single call:
iocshLoad("$(VAC)/iocsh/digitelPump.iocsh", "PREFIX=SR:, INSTANCE=IP1, PORT=/dev/ttyUSB0, DEV=MPC, STN=1")
iocshLoad("$(VAC)/iocsh/vacSensor.iocsh", "PREFIX=SR:, INSTANCE=VS1, PORT=/dev/ttyUSB1, DEV=GP350")
For manual configuration details, see the Ion Pumps and Vacuum Gauges pages.
Credits
- Greg Nawrocki – Original Digitel 500 device support
- Mohan Ramanathan – Record types, device support for MPC, GP307, GP350, MM200, MX200
- Marty Smith – QPC support and documentation
- Tim Mooney – Module management and releases
- Keenan Lang – Current maintainer (klang@anl.gov)