Upgrade of Hardware Controls for the STAR Experiment at RHIC
Jaroslav Adam, Michael G. Cherney, Joey D'Alesio, Emma Dufresne,, Luk\'a\v{s} Holub, Janet E. Seger, David Tlust\'y
TL;DR
This paper discusses upgrading the STAR experiment's control system at RHIC by replacing procedural EPICS C libraries with an object-oriented Python-based approach, enhancing stability, simplicity, and documentation.
Contribution
It introduces a novel Python-based object-oriented control system for STAR, replacing legacy EPICS C libraries, improving stability and maintainability.
Findings
Enhanced stability of experiment operation
Reduced code complexity and size
Improved user interface upgrades
Abstract
The STAR experiment has been delivering significant physics results for more than 20 years. Stable operation of the experiment was achieved by using a robust controls system based on the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS). Now an object-oriented approach with Python libraries, adapted for EPICS software, is going to replace the procedural-based EPICS C libraries previously used at STAR. Advantages of the new approach include stability of operation, code reduction and straightforward project documentation. The first two sections of this paper introduce the STAR experiment, give an overview of the EPICS architecture, and present the use of Python for controls software. Specific examples, as well as upgrades of user interfaces, are outlined in the following sections.
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