Experimental Physics and
Industrial Control System

[email protected] · Thu, 01 Dec 94 11:46:12 -0600

A 162 can be used as an IOC in standalone mode on an ethernet, yes. 
You simply order the 162 version of the vxWorks BSP, add power, and
you are on line without even needing a VME chassis.  If fact, Motorola
sells the 162's at a discount price if you order them w/o a VME
interface.  (IMHO, they would make a pretty nifty replacement for the
BUG devices we have been using here at the APS.)

For your I/O you would (obviously) want to use some IP boards.  There
are not any official EPICS drivers for them as far as I know.  DESY
has been doing work in that area.  And there is always talk of them in
the c.o.v group on usenet.

We (APS) have been working on some code that allows a host to treat the
mv162 and its IP cards as a intelligent I/O device.  That is, EPICS
would run on a host processor in the VME crate (as it always has) and
the 162 sits aside it as a really smart device.  The CPU on the 162
board only runs the low level driver codes.  We have been calling the
low level driver code part HiDEOS.  You may place as many of the 162
cards in the crate as you have room.

At this moment, the APS has some A/D and serial HiDEOS drivers running
in this configuration.

--John

Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System

Experimental Physics and
Industrial Control System