Data Acquisition System Design for Production Measurements of Magnets for the Fermilab Anti-Proton Source

A semi-automatic measurement system has been constructed and operated for measurement of more than 400 magnets for the Fermilab Anti-Proton Source Project. A single VAX 11/730 computer with a serial CAMAC highway driver supports multiple measurement stations. Independence of the measurement stations is provided at the system level. Modern software design structures are implemented using standard modules whenever possible including (especially) commercial packages. Measurement results are obtained for evaluation at the time of the measurement. Convenience and accuracy of measurer interaction is provided using a forms entry system. For convenience of data analysis, a query-based data management tool accesses data bases which describe both equipment and results. Results are shared over a DECnet network. The design is well suited for quality control, for laboratory equipment testing/repair and for experimental R & D in a shared-resource, shared-data environment.