A new Profibus-DP interface for CERN's sputter ion pump controllers

This paper proposes an improvement on the read-out and networking of the sputter ion pump (VPI) controllers, used in CERN accelerators for ultra-high vacuum pumping and measurement. The vacuum control systems are built around PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers), which communicate through Profibus with several distributed IO-stations. The VPI controllers are connected to these stations via individual and simple cabling. A new Profibus-DP slave interface was developed, to be embedded in the VPI controllers, in order to enhance remote access and to reduce cabling complexity. This paper presents the developed hardware and software, together with the corresponding assessment tests.