Fast Bunch Integrator: A System for Measuring Bunch
Intensities in Fermilab's Main Ring

J. Utterback

Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory*

In order to support the proposed luminosity increases in Fermilab's Tevatron Collider, a new Fast Bunch Integrator (FBI) system has been developed. FBI is used to precisely measure the intensity of each bunch in the Main Ring before injection into the Tevatron. These intensity measurements are particularly useful for monitoring the coalescing process as it takes place. This newly designed FBI system will also be used in the Main Injector when complete. The FBI system is comprised of a VME Front End which communicates with Fermilab's ACNET via an Ethernet connection. The boards in the VME crate are a Motorola 162 CPU, a Fermilab designed Pulse Pattern Generator (PPG), two Fermilab designed Integrator boards (one for protons and one for antiprotons), and two "Comet Analog Digitizer" boards by Omnibyte corporation. The embedded software makes use of the VxWorks operating system by Wind River Systems.

Precise timing pulses are produced by the PPG to trigger the integrators and the digitizers just as the bunches are passing the detection equipment in the beam pipe. The embedded software is required to program the PPG so that the pulses occur at the correct times. The embedded software also has "real time" requirements because the intesity readings must be retrieved from the hardware quickly to make the data available to ACNET for console displays and for continuous plots.

Software has been created to produce a local terminal display which mimics the remote console access. This local display is useful for system access in the field and for debugging purposes.

*Operated by the Universities Research Association under contract with the U. S. Department of Energy