Conversion of the TISOL Control System to EPICS

As part of the preparation for the ISAC radioactive beam facility at TRIUMF, the control system of the small on-line isotope separator TISOL was upgraded using the EPICS toolkit. This upgrade served several purposes: a) to train control personnel on EPICS, b) to familiarize future ISAC users with a prototype of the ISAC control system and c) get an early user feedback on the control system to the controls group. Previously, TISOL was controlled from a PC using custom software and Optomux I/O hardware. The new system maintains the existing I/O hardware and uses an EPICS IOC to drive the Optomux loop. Optomux hardware support was integrated into EPICS and the existing software functionality was recreated using the EPICS tools. The cost and benefits of converting this legacy system to EPICS will be discussed.